Pokextinction
by THE CREATOR and Hydra
Summary: The world is on the verge of collapse when a man who despises Pokemon with a burning passion and the ruthless inter-dimensional warmonger Necrozma threaten world destruction. With tensions rising between every single Legendary Pokemon, even Arceus himself won't be able to stop the coming fire... And when all hope is lost, the world will turn to Ash.
1. Chapter 1: Humble Beginnings

The room was nearly pitch black, just the way he liked it. It suited Him and felt tranquil, nothing like the loud, bumbling outside world. He stuck his hand in his pocket and took out a lighter, and lit his cigar. He then took a big puff and exhaled slowly out, leaving the smoke to waft throughout the room. He repeated this multiple times until this tranquility was interrupted by the blinding light from the hallway as one of his subordinates entered the room. Normally, one in his position would end their miserable life on the spot, but he wasn't like those other power-hungry psychopaths. He knew better, though that's not to say he wasn't ambitious in his own right. Just that he knew their individual worth. There's no conquering the world without something to stand on.

"What is it?", The Man said to his aforementioned subordinate with another puff of his cigar. "You should know better than to interrupt me without knocking, so this had better be good."

The subordinate visibly flinched, which made The Man internally smirk; not that he'd ever dare show such emotion to his inferiors.

"S-sorry sir, but..." The underling regained her composure before continuing, as to not make a further fool of herself. "Sir...your "Business Partners" are within range of long-term communications. You no longer have to rely on those backwinded messages."

Even The Man, with all his composure, could not resist the grin that crept up his face at hearing that. "Finally."

"Leave me," The Man said with wave of his hand. "I have much work to do."

The subordinate bowed and left while closing the door behind her, leaving the room back in tranquil darkness.

"Now then," He said as he pulled out a little remote from his pocket. He pushed a button, making a large holographic screen appear. The screen flashed and a dark figure barely illuminated by the crystals attached to its arms appeared. With a smile and one last puff, he put the cigar out and flicked it away. "Let us begin."

* * *

"NO! MOVE! IT'S NOT OVER YET, NO!"

A young boy with dark, scruffy hair looked at the red wasteland before him. A colossal green titan of unimaginable strength floated above what used to be a giant red imitation of the Legendary Zygarde and the man Lysandre who was mere moments away from destroying the world. The titan, the true form of Zygarde, now splitting apart back into its hundred cells, dispersed across the world, now having completed its duty of restoring order to the world.

"Zygarde…" The young boy said out loud in deep thought.

"Ash!" The consecutive voices of two girls and another boy yelled enthusiastically to him.

The boy, now named Ash, turned his head with a wide grin greeting his friends as he waved to them.

"Serena, Bonnie, Clemont! Hey!"

"Ash, did you see that?!" The younger girl, Bonnie, shouted enthusiastically, "Squishy was all like " _ZOOM"_ and " _WOOSH"_ and " _KABOOM!"_ "

Bonnie continued to make several more noises of the sort while flailing her arms around, amusing the others into small laughter.

"Hehe, yeah. Squishy- no, Zygarde- was sure something out there, wasn't he?" Ash humored her.

A high-pitched, nasaly voice rang out to them. "Friends!"

The group turned their heads to see the single remaining Zygarde Cell: Squishy.

"Squishy!", Bonnie cried ecstatically as she ran toward her friend and embraced it in a loving hug. "You were awesome out there, Squishy!"

"Yeah, you saved us", Serena agreed gratefully.

"Mm-hmm" Agreed Clemont, "You really got us out of a sticky situation.", Clemont piped on.

Squishy shook his head. "No, friends. It was you who saved me. Were it not for you, I would have condemned this world to a fiery demise. I owe it to you for for saving me from myself and that monster Lysandre" The Cell looked up to his holder. "Especially you, Bonnie."

The young girl's face erupted into a massive grin and hugged the cell even tighter at hearing that.

"So, Squishy", Ash said, "What happens now?"

To answer this, Squishy started glowing and slowly floated out of Bonnie's grip. "Now...now I must follow my comrades and prepare for the next imbalance."

"Squishy!" Bonnie yelled up to her friend, "I'll never forget you!"

Squishy's friends all stared at their friend and comrade as he flew into the sky and disappeared in a green streak across the red sky.

The four heroes stood proudly looking at the sky where their friend once was, pride etched on their faces. Despite Squishy being gone, none of them felt an iota of sadness for some reason. Perhaps it was because they might meet each other again one day. They could only guess.

"Ash, Serena, Clemont, Bonnie!" A voice shouted.

The four turned to see a man in a Blaziken outfit followed by a Mega Blaziken came running towards the group, tackling Bonnie and Clemont in a hug.

"You two...I'm so proud of you…"

"Uh...thanks?" Clemont hesitantly said.

The Blaziken Man seemed hurt before his face brightened in realization and he broke into a chuckle.

"Oh, haha, right. You don't recognize me. Well, I suppose now's a good a time as any."

The Blaziken Man released the children from his grasp and began to take off his mask, revealing a familiar face.

"DAD?!"

"Yeah, sorry for not tellin' you guys earlier, but you never know what someone might do with this information, haha!"

The interaction was interrupted by the roar of a familiar Charizard, followed by the beats of helicopter propellers and Blaziken Man furiously attempting to pull his mask over his face once more to protect his identity.

"Hey, guys!" Alain yelled with one of his rare smiles plastered on his face.

"You guys okay?" Alain's...friend Mairin cried out, holding her Chespin looking worse for wear in her arms.

Out from the copters came a veritable army of Pokemon and their respective owners. The four found themselves surrounded by praise and congratulations to them and each other. Ash and the gang found themselves trampled by their Pokemon in bone-crushing hugs.

"Gyah hah ha!", A large man with a beer belly cried out, "This calls for a celebration!"

"That can come later, Wulfric", The Psychic Seer Olympia replied, her tone becoming serious. "Our first objective should be to make repairs to the damaged cities."

Ash piped in, having finally escaped from the grasps of his happy Pokemon, though his trusty Pikachu now found himself perched on his shoulder once more, where he belonged. "We'll help too!"

"Pika!", His trusted partner agreed.

"Me too!" Serena chimed happily.

"As will I", Clemont agreed.

Alain, to everyone's surprise, jumped in. "I'm to blame for all this. I could've stopped Lysandre from doing all this, but instead...I _betrayed_ you all." He clenched his eyes shut and gripped his hands to the point where Ash could've sworn he was on the point of drawing blood. " _I NEARLY GOT EVERYONE KILLED DUE TO MY SELFISH ACTIONS AND COWARDICE! I COULD HAVE STOPPED LYSANDRE AT ANY POINT, BUT DIDN'T DUE TO ONE DAMNED DEBT!"_ He released his grip and hung his head, darkening his eyes from view. "...I will take responsibility. I will help the recovery...and you can feel free to punish me for my treasonous actions in anyway you see fit. Just leave my Pokemon out of this; they were only following orders."

Everyone simply stared at the broken trainer. Some dumbfounded, some cautious as they saw him with Lysandre, but most just stood there looking at Alain sympathetically. Ash took no time in reassuring his friend and rival that he was not to blame.

"Alain, it's fine. It's okay.", He put a hand on Alain's shoulder. "You're not our enemy. You've already proved that to me...to us. You never betrayed us, Alain. I saw you struggle with your conscience while I was trapped. If anything, you betrayed Lysandre! If you didn't help me, we would all be dead for sure."

"That's right!" Added Serena, "You were the one that ended up pulling out that other Zygarde's energy source, right?"

"That's right!", Mairin cried, "You may have been grumpy and mean at first, but now you're a great guy! You saved Chespy!"

"Trust me," Piped in the fire-type specialist of the Elite Four. "You're nowhere close to being to blame for all of this. I was much more involved in Lysandre's plan than you ever truly were. I'll be answering for my sins soon enough as well, but you're an astounding trainer with limitless potential. Don't let yourself get beat down by something like this."

"Malva…"

"I should say so," The voice of a woman spoke through a loudspeaker from behind them as she pulled up in her signature blue Jeep. Officer Jenny hopped out of her vehicle with an Arcanine and a Pyroar behind her. "Former Elite Four Malva, you are being arrested on accounts of high treason to Kalos, along with the attempted murder of billions and the destruction of Lumiose City. Your other Team Flare compatriots have already been arrested and are on their way to life behind bars. Come quie-"

"Shut up." Malva spat, "Spare me the speech, I was planning on giving myself up anyways."

Malva walked past Jenny's dangerous fire-types without batting an eyes and let herself into the back seat of the vehicle.

Jenny stared dumbfounded, debating on whether that display was considered compliance or disrespect, but shook her head and simply decided not to think on it now that her job was done. She pressed the lock button on her keys just in case Malva would make a run for it, not that she thought she would. But one could never be too careful in the world of justice.

"In any case," Jenny said as she turned her glare to Alain, "Malva isn't the only one who's committed this heinous crime against nature."

Alain visibly flinched at this, but expected it to come eventually. The trainer sighed and held out his hands in acceptance as Jenny got her cuffs ready.

"Actually," Champion Diantha intervened, "This trainer was one of my personal spies in the effort of taking down Team Flare."

"Wait wha-" His voice was silenced by Mairin jumping up and covering his mouth with a "Shh!" in his ear.

"Oh, is that so?" Jenny said with surprise, "This boy must be incredibly loyal if he was willing to be arrested to remain in secret."

"Just so," Champion Steven piped up, catching on to Diantha's little scheme. "Yes, a _loyal_ young trainer like him deserves the utmost praise for sticking to his act until the very end."

"But I-" Alain pleaded, now having gotten Mairin off of him only to be tackled to the ground by his signature Charizard.

"Haha, even now he sticks to his character." Diantha said with a painfully obvious fake laugh that somehow went unnoted by Officer Jenny.

Jenny looked awestruck. "Well, my apologies, Mr. Alain, I had you all wrong."

Bonnie deadpanned. " _This_ is who our police force is?"

Alain's response was a look that showed him feeling less than stellar about this whole situation, not that Jenny could see from her angle.

"How do you keep him so loyal?"

"Well," Diantha shot a smug look toward Alain, "Let's just say he owes me a few favors."

Alain audibly groaned in displeasure at hearing that, making the group, and Jenny, laugh.

* * *

The reconstruction of Lumiose City seemed to be going well enough. Alain and his Pokemon were helping as much as possible, partly due to his extreme guilt at playing a major hand in its destruction and watching as it happened before his very eyes...but mostly due to the little "incident" with Diantha. No, that was one debt that would not soon be forgotten. Though, on the opposite side of the spectrum, Ash and the gang were happily willing to contribute to their fullest in that regard. Ash's Greninja could be commonly seen hopping into collapsing buildings to rescue people while his Talonflame escorted them to safety. Clemont had his Bunnelby digging through crushed rubble or to just knock over buildings that were damaged beyond use. Bonnie had her Deddene and Ash's Pikachu going around and attempting to give power back to facilities around the city.

Ash looked up at the tower that had nearly cost him his life after he plummeted to his near death after attempting to reason with Professor Sycamore's enraged Garchomp. Ahh, memories.

"Reminiscing, Ash?" Clemont asked from behind.

"Yeah. By the way, I've finished all my daily repairs." His glasses gleamed in the sun with a smirk plastered on his face. "And speaking of repairs,.."

Clemont's robot friend, Clembot, appeared behind him, looking shiny and unscathed.

"Clembot!" Ash greeted with a smile, "You're back!"

The robot simply stared at Ash blankly.

"Clembot?"

Clemont frowned and shook his head. "This isn't the same Clembot…" He walked over to NEO Clembot's side. "I managed to give him a consciousness once more, but...the original was unrecoverable."

Before Ash could offer his condolences, he was interrupted with a wave of Clemont's hand and his cheery attitude confirmed.

"But that's not what I necessarily wanted to talk to you about, Ash."

"Oh, what didja want to talk about then, Clem?" Ash asked.

"I wanted...one last rematch with you, Ash. I figured you'd be leaving Kalos to continue your adventures, so I wanted to settle the score, ya know?"

Ash's signature grin returned. "Yeah, I figure'd you would. Hey, Pikachu!"

Ash's partner peeked his head out from behind Lumiose Tower where he'd been giving his excess electrical power to try and revive the Gym. "Pi?"

"Clemont here wants a battle before we hit the road! Whaddya say, buddy?"

Ash's response was his mouse partner running up and jumping onto the ground in front of his lifelong friend.

"Pi, Pika-Pi!"

"Let's make this one to remember, Ash." Clemont sent out his first partner Bunnelby.

"I'll make sure you never forget it!" Ash retorted. "Pikachu, Quick-Attack!"

In compliance, Ash's partner blitzed towards the grey rabbit he was opposing and rammed into him full force.

"Mud Bomb!"

Bunnelby righted himself midair and used its powerful legs to jump off the building it was flying towards and hucked two balls of mud at his yellow adversary which exploded on contact, sending the mouse flying backwards.

"Pika-a!" He cried.

"Pikachu, Iron Tail!" His best friend ordered.

Eagerly, he complied, making his tail glow silvery-gray and rushed towards his opponent.

"Dig, now!"

Bunnelby wasted no time in following orders, just barely saving himself from getting whacked by the powerful attack as he burrowed underground.

"Change course and carry your momentum into the ground!" Ash ordered.

Pikachu spun around and planted his arms on the ground, letting his heavier iron backside spin and carry him upward where he did a flip, smashing his metallic tail into the ground with a massive shockwave that nearly destroyed the battlefield.

"Bunnelby, use the force of the attack to jump out!" Clemont retorted.

Just as ordered, the grey rabbit used the force of the Iron Tail to propel himself out of the ground high above Pikachu.

"Now use Dig on Pikachu!"

"What?!"

Bunnelby maneuvered his body headfirst towards Pikachu and did a full-body tackled into Pikachu from above, sending them both hurtling deep into the ground.

"Fight back with everything you have, Pikachu!" Ash ordered, "You can take it from here!"

Needless to say, Clemont was taken aback by this command...why hadn't _he_ thought of that?! Without hearing the commands, Clemont couldn't counter them!

"You're on your own too, Bunnelby! I can't give you orders anymore!"

Many large eruptions of dirt and stone followed suit in rapid succession until a voice could be heard from underneath.

"Chuuu Pi-KA!"

Both trainers had to shield their eyes as massive amounts of dirt erupted from the battlefield from what could only be deducted as Pikachu's Iron Tail. When the dust settled, a massive crater deeper than either could see the bottom of was all that could be seen of either Pokemon. It wasn't until minutes later that two brown ears could be seen trudging out of the crater.

"Bunnelby?!" Clemont and Ash simultaneously yelled.

"...No, wait...IT'S PIKACHU!" Ash cried with joy.

Pikachu came strutting up out of the crater with the scruff of an unconscious Bunnelby in his hand raised triumphantly above him.

"Piiiiiiii!"

"Bunnelby!" Clemont cried as he ran up to his fallen partner, who'm Pikachu happily handed off.

"Nice job, Pikachu!" Ash complimented as he ran up to his own respective partner who jumped into Ash's arms in a celebratory embrace.

Clemont sighed as he acknowledged his defeat and walked over to his friend with his Bunnelby unconscious in his arms.

"Nice job, Ash. I guess I couldn't hope to defeat you after all, knowing all you've accomplished."

"What?!" Ash demanded, "No way, you were amazing out there! I was shaking the whole fight!"

"Hehe, I'm just surprised I lasted that long. I expected to just get batted away."

"Heh, were you going easy on him, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner, to which he shook his head and ran up to the side of Lumiose Tower and pulled out a large wire from the side and released a Thunderbolt into it, lighting the tower for a few seconds to signal what he had been doing before the fight.

"Oh, so you were just tired from powering buildings all day, huh buddy?"

"Pi, Pika!" was his proud answer.

"Oh, so he was tired," Clemont deduced, not so much with sadness or disappointment. More just like testing out the thought or concept.

"Yeah, sorry about that. We can have a rematch later if you want."

Clemont shook his head. "Nah, there's no point in that. You beat me when you were _weakened_. I wouldn't stand a chance against you at full power."

A genuine smile appeared on Clemont's face. "And besides, all I wanted was a battle to remember anyways. And that was one battle I'm sure neither of us will be forgetting soon, right?"

Ash's smile matched Clemont's. "Right. That'll be a battle for the ages."

Clemont nodded and looked up at the night sky. A whistle escaped Ash's mouth as he caught on as well.

"Gettin' late, huh? I got a long trip tomorrow back to Kanto, so I'd better be gettin' some sleep."

Clemont chuckled, "Haha, alright Ash. Let's get ready for bed."

After a long day of work and a battle, sleep seemed like heaven for the two young trainers. After all, one of them had a large flight tomorrow and the other had a gym to run...and repair...but as the two were walking back to their apartment they were renting, Ash's Greninja hopped off a building in front of them and motioned for them to follow before hopping away once more.

"What's his deal?" Clemont asked.

"Dunno, but he looked pretty serious about it."

Serena and Bonnie came running up behind them, probably having completed their work for the day.

"Hey," Serena said, "We just saw Greninja come and go like that."

"Yeah, what happened?"

"Dunno," Ash replied, "Let's go find out."

As the four left the city, they found themselves in a dark forest nearby.

"U-uh Ash?" Bonnie pleaded, "I don't like this…"

"Yeah, I can feel something really bad out here," Serena agreed.

Almost on cue, a giant blackish-red tentacle erupted from the ground only to be immediately cut down by Ash's Greninja.

"That nearly gave me a heart attack…" Serena said with her hand on her chest.

"Greninja," Ash said, " So this is what you were telling me…"

"Indeed," A voice spoke out from behind the trees.

Out from the trees came Zygarde himself in his serpentine form. It stared deeply at each trainer before continuing.

"As you can see, even though the Megalith Zygarde that monster Lysandre created is completely destroyed, its tentacles still remain. No matter how many you cut down, more come in their place."

True to its word, more tentacles erupted out where the first one was killed.

"Greninja, let's go!" Ash ordered, to which Greninja nodded. The two performed multiple hand signs in sync which acted to merge the minds of the two. Both trainer and Pokemon could begin to feel what the other felt; see what the other could see. In no time at all, Greninja stood on its hind legs, grew a red cross-like figure on his forehead, and bangs on the sides of his neck.

"YEAH!"

"GREN!"

Ash-Greninja reached behind their back and pulled out a giant water-shuriken that had appeared on their back and threw it like a disc at the tentacles, only for several more to grow behind them. Ash-Greninja acted as if he threw another one toward the new tentacles, signaling the Water-Shuriken to whizz back around like a boomerang and slice the new tentacles around. Even more tentacles surrounded them as the others died.

In response, Ash-Greninja summoned a second Water-Shuriken and started spinning them in every which direction, cutting down any tentacle that dared get near to this force of nature...that is, until one managed to duck underneath an incoming shuriken and ram into Ash-Greninja, sending him flying and making them disoriented. They winced as another one tried to strike.

"Braixen, Flamethrower!"

A streak of fire cut through the incoming tentacle and burned it to cinders.

"Serena, nice work!" Ash commented.

Serena blushed at the praise from her crush. "Thanks, Ash, but it's not over just yet. Braixen, Flamethrower once more!"

Braixen complied in the form of another swerving Flamethrower that cut and burnt through many more tentacles. Seeing their chance, Clemont and Bonnie sent out their Pokemon too.

"Dedenne, Thunderbolt!"

"Magneton, Discharge!"

The two Pokemon went back-to-back and fired off electric bolts every which way. At that point, Ash had jumped back into the fray and tentacles were now falling left and right. It took what seemed like hours before the tentacles stopped coming.

"Is...hah...is that the last of them?" Ash asked, his legs wobbling from feeling what his Greninja felt.

"I dunno...it seems to be that way tho-"

Serena was interrupted by the ground itself shifting to make way for hundreds of erupting tentacles.

"N-no way…" Bonnie said in disbelief and sheer fear.

Clemont scowled. "There's still more?!"

"I'll take it from here," Zygarde finally said.

The green order-keeping serpent raised its mighty head and raised a massive multicolored ball above its head.

" _ **DRAGON PULSE!"**_

With the swing of its head, hundreds of the corrupted tentacles were completely obliterated, leaving seemingly no trace of any of them as they disintegrated into less than dust.

The four trainers and their respective Pokemon stood mouth-agape at the sheer overwhelming power of Zygarde. _This_ was the power of a Legendary Pokemon.

"Did...did you get them all?" Serena tentatively asked, shaken at this display of power.

"For the moment, yes. My power acts as an antithesis of these tentacles, so their root should be sealed off. But that only means its attacks on other areas will be more brutal and I will have to use more and more of my Cells to repel an attack in a single area while others are being completely destroyed. My point being, Ash, ...that I would like to recruit your Greninja temporarily so that I may divide my powers and still achieve similar results."

"Recruit Greninja?"

Zygarde nodded. "It would be of great help if you would."

Ash turned to his secondary partner. "If it's alright with Greninja, it's alright with me, but...our power can only be fully unleashed when we're together."

Zygarde shook its head. "Your bond is everlasting. At this point, your Greninja should be able to initiate the transformation at will. It might not be quite as powerful as it would be should you be together, but it will be enough."

Ash once again turned to his partner, who in turn transformed into his Ash-Greninja form to prove Zygarde's point.

"Greninja...is this truly what you want?"

Greninja nodded, as serious and determined as could be.

Ash's friends expected Ash to be angry. After all, his destined partner was leaving him for his own purposes, however noble those purposes may be. But to their surprise, excluding Zygarde and Greninja, Ash simply smiled happily.

"Then go for it, buddy."

The two best friends engaged in one last hug before Ash turned away and motioned for his friends to follow. Ash turned back to see his friend and Zygarde one last time only to see that the two were already gone.

On the way back, no one dared say a thing for the longest time, unsure to touch up on what they thought to be an incredibly touchy subject at the moment until Serena finally mustered up the courage to gingerly touch Ash on the shoulder.

"You...you okay, Ash?"

To her surprise, Ash turned around with a bright smile plastered on his face.

"Me? Never been better!"

"What? But Greninja just left…"

"And I couldn't be prouder. He's made this choice for himself. I know I'd do the same in his shoes."

"Wow...that's surprisingly mature, Ash…"

Ash nodded, "He's made this choice for himself, so all I can do is support him through it."

Serena smiled at this. She knew there was a reason she liked this boy so much.

The next day at the Lumiose City airport, now that is was fully operational once again, Ash and Co. were readying for their separate departures. Ash was heading back to Kanto for a temporary break, Serena was heading to Hoenn to try her hand at Co-ordinating, and Clemont was staying behind to continue what little repairs there were left...mostly what was the result of his and Ash's final battle, and to run the Gym like he was supposed to. Maybe he'd find a way to restore Clembot's memories later on. But for now, he had friends to say farewell to. First came Serena.

"Serena, take care," Clemont said to her.

"Yeah, and don't you ever let one defeat bring you down," Ash cheered, "You'll do great out there, I just know it!"

"You'll always be a big sister to me, Serena!" Bonnie chirped happily as Serena descended down the escalator to her flight.

Serena giggled with a blush, "Thank you all! I'll never forget you!"

But something felt...wrong...what was she _doing?!_ She wasn't done with Ash just yet. With a smirk on her face, she rushed back up the escalator and stared Ash deep in the eyes before planting a full blown kiss on his mouth as she tiptoed to reach him. Ash stared dumbstruck while the rest had either dumbfounded or ecstatic looks on their faces. Yep. Now... _now_ she was satisfied. She gave him one last bright smile before running out of sight to her flight.

Ash sat in his flight seat in deep thought about what had transpired. He was friendly enough with her, but he'd never suspected she'd felt _that_ way about him. Then again, he never was apt at figuring that stuff out. After all, two other girls had kissed him in a similar way before and he never thought anything of it before or after. But this one bugged him. Not in a bad way, mind you, but this one felt...weirder than the others. Eh, he'd think about it later. As for now, he had a very tiring night and desperately needed sleep. Eventually, fatigue overcame him and forced his eyes shut.

Ash stretched his arms above his head as he stood on a hill overlooking his hometown, his first partner and best friend perched on his shoulder.

"Phew...we're finally home, buddy."

"Pi, Pika-pi" His partner agreed.

The two started their trek back home until they heard a familiar voice yell behind them.

"Is that…?"

Serena came running up to them with the brightest smile Ash had ever seen plastered on her face.

"AAAAAASSHH!"

Serena jumped into Ash's arms and fully embraced him in a tender kiss while Pikachu cheered in the background.

* * *

 **HALL OF ORIGINS**

In an empty space in a place far beyond human comprehension, the Alpha Pokemon Arceus himself stood in front of every legendary Pokemon currently known.

" _ **MIGHT I HAVE THINE ATTENTION?"**_ HE commanded, silencing his crowd.

" _ **TODAY WE COMMEMORATE THE ACHIEVEMENTS OF ZYGARDE, THE KEEPER OF ORDER. HE, ALONG WITH MY CHOSEN ONE AND HIS COMPANIONS, FOUGHT OFF TOTAL WORLD EXTERMINATION."**_

Some of the smaller more childish Legends cheered, such as Mew, Manaphy, and Victini cheered happily while the larger, more prideful Legends simply nodded in approval.

" **So, where are they?"** Groudon asked, " **Did they not bother to show up to their own accolades?"**

" _ **ZYGARDE IS CURRENTLY SPLIT INTO THOUSANDS OF CELLS SPREAD ACROSS KALOS, CONTINUOUSLY FIGHTING OFF THE REMNANTS OF HIS ADVERSARY. EVEN NOW, HE CHERISHES ORDER AND PEACE ABOVE ALL ELSE."**_

Again, the smaller Legends cheered.

" _ **IS THAT ALL?"**_ Demanded the lord of the Distortion World, " _ **I TIRE OF THIS MEANINGLESSNESS."**_

In response, Arceus stamped his foot into the ground, creating a shockwave that made everyone else in the room, even the likes of Giratina and Darkrai, flinch.

" _ **STAY YOUR TONGUE, USURPER."**_ HE commanded. " _ **ZYGARDE HAS DONE MORE FOR US IN A SINGLE DAY THAN YOU HAVE IN YOUR ENTIRE EXISTENCE! YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO BE CRITICISING ZYGARDE AFTER ALL**_ **YOU'VE** _ **DONE."**_

In return, Giratina stamped one of his tentacles into the floor. " _ **YOU STAY YOUR TONGUE! WAS IT NOT I AND MY BRETHREN WHO HAD TO STOP**_ _ **YOU**_ _ **FROM DESTROYING THE WORLD AFTER YOU WERE**_ _ **BEATEN BY THE HUMANS?!"**_

Against the expectations, Arceus didn't threaten to erase Giratina on the spot for his insolence. Instead, his glare softened and eventually died down.

" _ **...YOU ARE CORRECT IN THAT REGARD, BROTHER. HOWEVER, THAT IS NO EXCUSE TO BELITTLE ZYGARDE'S ACHIEVEMENTS THIS DAY."**_

"By the way," Mew piped up, "Your grammar's wrong, Tina. You should've said " _ **MY BRETHREN AND I"**_ instead of " _ **I AND MY BRETHREN."**_

Giratina's eye visibly twitched, but knew better than to argue with Mew. Instead, he just simply growled and excused himself back to his eternal banishment, the Distortion World. At least there, it was quiet.

Arceus just sighed. " _ **VERY WELL, THE REST OF YOU ARE EXCUSED AS WELL."**_

The Legends bowed and complied, disappearing from their perches, save one. Deoxys.

" _Milord,'_ He started.

" _ **OH? YOU USUALLY DON'T SPEAK UNLESS SPOKEN TO, DEOXYS, WHAT HAS YOU SPEAKING NOW?"**_

Deoxys paused, unsure how to bring up his problem... _their_ problem.

" _Milord...you do know the circumstances of my appearance here, correct?"_

" _ **OUTSIDE OF THE FACT THAT THINE CAME FROM A METEOR, NO, I NEVER PRIED FOR MORE INFORMATION."**_

" _Milord...I believe that I can no longer keep that secret any longer…"_

" _ **AND WHY IS THAT?"**_

" _Because it is no longer my problem alone_."

" _ **OH?"**_

" _It is now time for me to fully tell you the story of my appearance here...long ago, my planet was a flourishing warrior race. We were unrivaled due to our psychic powers and the ability to change between two forms...but one day, our planet was ransacked and destroyed by a space pirate and his crew. They completely obliterated us. One of his sentinals alone destroyed a fourth of my entire race with ease before the leader himself decided to show up and obliterate us himself. Our combined psychic power was NOTHING to him. He reversed our psychic power with ease and made our minds implode with his sheer power. Had I not hesitated due to my cowardice, I would have been killed as well. I escaped by condensing my body into a dense, red triangle and escaped on the debris of my destroyed planet. After thousands of years, I finally approached this planet."_

" _ **AND THAT IS WHEN YOU MET RAYQUAZA AND HIS CHOSEN TRAINER, CORRECT?"**_

" _Precisely. When I awoke, I attacked Rayquaza in fear, and the rest is history."_

" _ **SO WHY ARE YOU TELLING ME THIS NOW?"**_

" _Because...he is on his way here at this very moment. I can feel his sheer power despite being galaxies apart...I fear that when he arrives, he will do the same to our planet."_

Arceus narrowed his eyes. " _ **DEOXYS...WHAT IS HIS NAME?"**_

" _...Necrozma…"_

AN:

THE CREATOR: Phew...that was a doozy and a half. So how was that? Want more? Tell us what you thought in the reviews! We'll try to upload every two weeks.

Hydra: That was absolutely cray-zay that took forever to start, but we got it done. So yes, as my friend said, we'll try to update but we're dealing with high school right now however, we will continue to update and do not worry we have a whole plan for how we want this story to play out tell us what your favorite part was and what you would like to see. Thank you and goodbye.


	2. Chapter 2: Firestorm

The room was nearly pitch-black, save for the two glowing crystals on His computer screen.

"Necrozma," He greeted simply, lighting another cigar having finished the first.

" _N_ -"

"Ah-ah-ah," The Man interrupted, "Pardon that little outburst of mine, partner, but my name is not something to be said aloud lightly. Unlike with you, we never know who's listening in. Diligence is of the utmost importance when running a company."

" _Is that right?"_ The Space Pirate Lord asked, " _If that is true, why does someone with your power need diligence? I was under the impression you were the most powerful being on your planet."_

"Oh, trust me," The Man replied, no emotion visible on his stone-cold face, "I am. Just in a different way than yours."

The prismatic conqueror chuckled. If Necrozma had a face outside of his eyes, The Man would've guessed he was smirking.

" _I look forward to seeing this power…"_

The Man chuckled back in return, "As am I, partner, ...as am I…"

And the room returned to the darkness He loved so very much, smoke wafting throughout the room.

* * *

Ash and Serena had just entered Pallet Town, a blush from their previous...encounter still on the latter's giddy face. Though Ash had ways to go before he knew what he was doing in that regard, he could at least say he knew what he was doing somewhat.

"This is your town?" Serena asked, "It's so pretty!"

"Heh, really? "Pretty" isn't usually the first thing people say about this old place."

Serena frowned, "So...you don't like it?"

Ash shook his head and pulled her into his arm. "Nah, it's not that, it's just weird hearing it called "pretty" of all things...I like it."

"Do you really?"

"Hehe, sure, if you do."

"Pi-Pika!" Pikachu agreed.

As Serena rested her head on Ash's shoulder that wasn't currently being occupied by Pikachu, a familiar voice for one of the two cried out to them.

"Hey, Ashy-boy!"

 _Oh Arceus, no._

Ash, begrudgingly, and Serena turned to the perpetrator of the silence's end to find a boy with a lab coat and spiked brown hair and a disgustingly smug smirk running up to him and his newly-appointed girlfriend at full speed.

"Hey, Gary…," Ash greeted with his free hand slightly raised.

"Aw, don't be like that, Ashy-boy," The boy said, now having caught up to the pair, "Or else I'll think you aren't happy to see me!"

Ash decided to play along. "Alright then, _Gare-Bear_ , what brings you back to Kanto? Last I heard, you were researching Sinnoh's lakes with that fancy new PhD of yours."

"Wait, he has a _what?!_ " Serena finally piped in, "I feel a bit left in the dark here."

Ash mentally slapped himself for forgetting Serena.

"Serena, this is Gary. He was my first rival and is a real pain in the neck. Gary, this is Serena. She's my...girlfriend?"

He looked to her for approval, to which she happily nodded albeit with a reddened face.

"Yeah, girlfriend."

Needless to say, Gary stood there, mouth agape in disbelief.

"That...was not what I expected to hear when I woke up this morning…"

Nevertheless, the temptation to torment his old rival outweighed his surprise at this new revelation, and a grin crept up his face as he couldn't resist the sheer amount of teasing that was about to occur.

"Hehehe, I didn't figure you the type to be grabbin' girls like that, Ashy-boy! Between you, me, and the Mrs. here, I was beginnin' to think you didn't swing that way!"

It took Ash a few seconds, unlike his partners who were doing their best not to break into intense laughter, to grasp what Gary was insinuating.

"Wait, WHAT?!"

At that point, Gary, Pikachu, and even Serena were all howling with laughter on the ground, clutching their stomachs and rolling around next to a fuming Ash, who wasn't about to take this sitting down.

"Oh yeah?" Challenged Ash, "How about I tell Serena how you _paid_ a bunch of girls to follow you around and act like cheerleaders?"

That shut them up.

"What?!" Gary screamed, now on his feet again, "How did you figure that out?!"

"You just told me," Ash smugly replied.

That seemed to have nearly broken Gary, because now he just stood unblinking with a broken look on his face. He'd been outsmarted by Ash, _Ash_ of all people, and to make it worse, it wasn't even the first time…

"That's just creepy," Serena commented with a disgusted look on her face.

Great, and now Gary had Ash's girlfriend in on this.

"I was ten!" Gary defended. "And a heck of a better trainer than you were back then. Remember all those times you had to sleep in the wilderness because you were so bad at battling, you couldn't muster the pocket change for a room!"

"You wanna put your money where your mouth is?!"

"Bring it on, loser!"

While the two boys were currently slamming their foreheads together, Serena was giving Pikachu a concerned look while said mouse simply sighed at the two's old antics.

"Pikachu!" Ash called over, "Let's trash this punk!"

"Go, Umbreon!" Gary called out, "Let's beat 'em like in the old times!"

"Pi…," Ash's partner sighed hopelessly before complying and hopping into a fitting stance. "Pi, Pika!"

Umbreon launched itself out of its ball onto the field, taunting Pikachu with a menacing smirk to which Pikachu crackled its cheeks in his own menacing way.

"Umbreon, Shadow Ball!" Gary commanded.

Umbreon raised its head and opened its mouth wide, forming a purplish-black ball in front of it before shooting it towards its old rival.

"Iron Tail it back!" Ash commanded in response.

Pikachu raised its tail and coated it in a metallic silver sheen and promptly used it like a baseball bat to swat it back to his enemy.

"Dark Pulse!"

Umbreon again raised its head skyward and formed a swirling mass of spiraling dark matter in its mouth before shooting it in the form of a dark, crackling beam that hurtled towards the incoming Shadow Ball, slowing it to a halt.

"Heh," Ash chuckled cockily, "You're rusty, Gare-bear."

"What was that?!" Gary demanded.

"You've been outta the loop too long. The old you would've told Umbreon to dodge straight away to keep stamina and mobility up. Now, not only have you left Umbreon completely open, but you haven't even realised Pikachu is now high above your Umbreon ready to strike."

"What?! Umbreon, cancel the Dark Pulse and dodge!"

But it seemed Gary wasn't the only rusty one. The moment Umbreon stopped the Dark Pulse, the Shadow Ball rammed into Umbreon before it could jump away in time, stunning it long enough for Pikachu to exploit the Eeveelution's inability to move.

"Combine Electro-Ball with Iron Tail!"

"What?!" Gary cried redundantly. It seemed that was all he could even manage to contribute in these circumstances.

Just as told, Pikachu's tail once again grew its metallic sheen, but this time, a yellow ball of condensed electricity manifested at the tip of Pikachu's tail and crackled brightly due to the metallic tail conducting the electricity.

"Now use Quick-Attack and rocket towards Umbreon!"

"Umbreon, use Da-" Gary stopped himself before making a terrible mistake. "Nevermind, dodge it!"

Umbreon complied, now having regained its senses, and bounced away from the danger zone, only for his opposition to land on his feet instead of its tail and bounce towards Umbreon, slapping it across the face with the supercharged Iron Tail and sending a colossal streak of lightning flashing horizontally across the ground in the direction where Pikachu's tail struck moments after it had actually struck home. As for Umbreon, it was currently violently hurtling through several trees before finally coming to a stop. It was a good thing Pallet was so small, otherwise that giant lightning bolt would've ripped apart a building or two.

"Umbreon, no!" Gary cried, running after his partner.

"Oh geez," Ash said, "Think we overkilled it, buddy?"

Ash's response was an embarrassed chuckle and a rub to the back of his head from Pikachu.

"Pi, Pi…"

Ash's gaze turned worried as he envisioned the aftermath of such a devastating attack. "Let's follow him, Pikachu."

His partner simply nodded with a similar worried expression evident on his face and bolted off into the woods where Gary ran off to. Ash was about to follow suit before he turned back for Serena.

"Serena!" Ash yelled, snapping the girl out of her trance from that display, "C'mon, you should come too!"

"Oh, uh, right!" The young girl agreed.

Serena picked herself off the ground from where she was sitting and the two trainers bolted off into the woods to find Gary and his injured Pokemon.

""Gaaaaryyy!" Ash called out, "Where are ya?"

"Piiiiikaaaa!" Pikachu followed suit.

Serena remained silent, scanning the underbrush and shrubbery for any clue until she saw something white moving out of the corner of her eye. She pulled Ash's jacket gently to get his attention and pointed to what she saw.

"Gary!" Ash shouted, "Are you okay?!"

"Nevermind me," Gary shouted back, "Get over here!"

The trio complied and were met with a grisly sight once they arrived to the source of the voice. In a large opening in the forest caused by Pikachu's attack destroying a row of trees in its wake, Umbreon laid embedded in the side of a large boulder and Gary was currently on top of said boulder attempting to figure out a way to reach his partner. Serena gasped in shock while Ash on the other hand managed to keep his composure in check and ran to assist Gary.

"Pikachu, come quick!" Ash ordered.

Snapping out of his daze, Ash's partner quickly ran to assist his best friend.

"Gary!" Ash called, "How is he?!"

Gary shook his head, "Not sure, but we gotta find a way to get 'em outta this rock!"

An idea struck Ash. "Talonflame, go! Pikachu, hop on top of the rock!"

"Ash?" Gary asked concerned as Pikachu landed in front of him, "What are you planning?"

"Talonflame, grab Gary and set him down on the ground!"

"Wha-hey!" Gary shouted dejectedly as Talonflame hoisted Gary up with her talons, "Whaddya doin'?!"

Once Talonflame had set the young professor down, she promptly flew back to Ash waiting for further instruction.

"Ash, quit leavin' me in the dark here!" Gary yelled angrily, "Tell me what you're plannin'!"

Ash turned to his former rival with an embarrassed smile, "Hehe, sorry about that. I get really caught up when ideas strike me, is all."

Gary crossed his arms impatiently, "Ok then. Now that I've got your attention, may I ask you what your plan is for the umpteenth time?"

"Oh, right. My plan is to have Pikachu use Iron Tail on the rock in a way that would send Umbreon flying out of the rock quickly and painlessly so we don't have to go through the process of carving them out and Talonflame here is gonna position herself right in Umbreon's path, catch them, and fly over to the nearest city to a Pokemon Center to get medical help as soon as possible."

"Ash," Gary started incredulously, "As good a plan that sounds on paper, _do you have any idea how many things can go wrong with that?!_ "

Ash's face practically deflated, "W...what?"

Gary marched over to Ash and pointed a finger to his chest, "If you hit the rock too hard, you could hurt Umbreon more!"

He got up in Ash's face, "Or if you don't hit it hard enough, Umbreon might not get flung out of the rock and he'll get crushed underneath the rubble!"

Gary's face was nearly pressed up against Ash's, who was doing his best not to fall over.

"Besides, Talonflame is a Fire and Flying type! How do you think it'll stand up to getting pelted with all those rock chunks, eh?! How's it gonna catch Umbreon under all that fire?!"

Ash shoved Gary back, now unwilling to deal with his criticisms. "Oh yeah? Why don't you try coming up with something better?!"

"GUYS!"

The two arguing boys were practically knocked over by the sheer ferocity of the yelling.

"WHILE YOU TWO ARE SITTING HERE ARGUING," Serena chastised, "THAT UMBREON IS RUNNING OUT OF TIME!"

The two rivals gave each other one last heated look before sighing in defeat, acknowledging their inanity.

"She's right, Ash," Gary surrendered, "I'm sorry."

Ash's response was his usual bright grin reappearing. "It's fine, Gary. You were just stressed about Umbreon. There's no shame in caring about your Pokemon."

"Ash?"

"Mm-hmm?"

Gary twiddled his thumbs, "Do you...think we could give your idea a shot?"

Ash gave a reassuring smile and a thumbs up. "Sure thing, Gare-bear."

An idea suddenly struck Ash. "Serena, could I ask for your help? Gary made a good point earlier about the rocks. I doubt Talonflame could dodge all those rock chunks and keep Umbreon safe at the same time, so can you have Braixen stop all the rock chunks once Pikachu shatters the boulder?"

Serena nodded, "Anything to help, and uh," A twinge of pink appeared on her cheeks, "Sorry for...yelling at you…"

Ash shook his head, "No, you were right. We shouldn't have been arguing while Umbreon's life was on the line."

Ash turned back to the matter at hand, "Talonflame, you ready?"

In response, Talonflame soared into a position facing the embedded Umbreon and spread its large wings.

"Talo!"

"Great," Ash complimented, "You too, Pikachu?"

Pikachu raised its tail into the air and covered it in a familiar metallic sheen.

"Pi, Pika Pi!"

Ash turned to Serena, "How's it coming?"

Serena released Braixen from her ball in response.

"It's a good thing Braixen is Psychic," Serena said, "That saves us the time of explaining, right?"

Her response was a confident nod. Braixen turned back to the matter at hand and whipped out her trusty stick in a flurry of fancy spins and twirls before assuming a position.

"Ready!"

"Brai!"

Ash's grin practically shined, "All right, guys. Get ready in three, two, one, GO!"

Pikachu hopped in the air and began to perform fast-paced rolling motions in order to increase the momentum and force of the Iron Tail's impact.

"Chuu, Pi-KA!"

Pikachu slammed his metal tail into the boulder and sent chunks of rock, and Umbreon, flying every which way. The rocks threatened to pelt everything around them like bullets until they stopped in their track due to a purplish-blue light that surrounded them. Umbreon, on the other hand, kept soaring due to its innate immunity to Psychic powers only to be caught in the waiting wingspan of Talonflame. Upon impact, Talonflame was sent flying backwards. To counterbalance this, Talonflame closed her wings around Umbreon and began to spin in the air similarly to a drill to cope with the force of the hit and to cause as little further damage to Umbreon as possible. Once Talonflame noticed they were dipping down, she grabbed Umbreon with her talons, spread her wings, and began soaring out of the forest and looking for the nearest town.

Gary, meanwhile, hadn't realised he'd been holding his breath the entire time and collapsed gasping for air. Now, it was only a matter of time before his Umbreon finally reached medical help. But suddenly he found himself whisked onto his feet by a familiar purplish-blue glow.

"Gary, c'mon!" Serena ordered from afar, "Ash and Pikachu already ran off!"

Gary stood there, dumbfounded for a few seconds before finally finding his voice.

"Y-yeah, alright."

With that, the young professor unsteadily began chasing after the two young trainers.

Talonflame, meanwhile, was soaring above the forestation, eyes darting every which way attempting to find a town when something suddenly flashed in her peripheral vision. She turned to the source of the light only to dodge a speeding Spearow that was attempting to use Quick-Attack on her. In annoyance, Talonflame readied a Flamethrower to rid herself of this pesky nuisance, only to be slapped upside the head by another Spearow's Quick-Attack. It didn't so much hurt as it did surprise her, and it nearly caused her to drop Umbreon.

" _Feeeaaaa-ROW!"_

Talonflame was suddenly the victim of a particularly jolting Drill Peck from a Fearow that sent her careening back down to the ground. In defense, she once again readied the drill maneuver to cancel out any momentum that might hurt the unconscious Eeveelution and slowly curved her way back upwards, releasing a Fire Blast into a flock of angry Spearow's that had come to aid their leader. The Fire Blast detonated in the middle of the swarming birds, blasting their ranks across the skies and finally into a rain of them. Talonflame spared a glance downward and commended herself on making the decision not to leave Umbreon back in the ground after being hit by that Fearow. Arceus knows what they'd do to him if they woke up. Her thoughts were interrupted when the remainder of the flock came at her in a storm of wild pecks and scratches. Talonflame furiously attempted to bat away all the little flying rats, but found herself having a difficult time doing so while keeping Umbreon safe. In frustration, she let loose a wild, sweeping Flamethrower through the crowd which succeeded in knocking out any that it came in contact with and temporarily caused the others to back off a tad.

" _FEEEEEEAAAAAARRRRRRRR!"_

Save one particularly large annoying rat.

Talonflame barrel-rolled away from an incoming Drill Peck from above and countered with another Flamethrower, only for the giant bird to duck under the flames and resume its assault. Angrily, Talonflame puffed out its chest and let forth a particularly large Fire Blast at her opponent which it barely dodged, earning a few skid marks and engulfing a large part of the forest below in searing flames. Completely outraged, the Fearow flashed towards its adversary at blinding speeds. Extreme Speed, noted Talonflame. Talonflame spread her wings and zoomed to the side to avoid the speeding raptor-bird, finding it particularly easier to move upward than before for some reason. The fire below had created an updraft, and it had given Talonflame a great idea. She sped upwards; as fast as she could. She barged through the blinding swarm of talons and sharp beaks, spreading her wings to take any glancing blows that might prove deadly to the unconscious Pokemon in her talons. Once she had finally broken through, she had realised two things. One, it was raining, and two, she was _really ticked off_. She tossed the unconscious Umbreon in her talons upward and turned down to face her pursuers, puffing her chest out as she did.

 _Closer…_

A black mass of pure anger in bird form came rushing toward her from above, their enraged screeches covering the skies.

 _Almost…_

Talonflame could practically feel their hatred for her.

 _Just a little more…_

A familiar giant rat came speeding out of the black mass, it's eyes red with pure rage.

 _Now._

Talonflame turned her head downward and released a colossal stream of blue fire from her mouth. The flames slammed into the Fearow and went on to completely engulf the rest of its underlings. The entirety of the black mass of birds that could be seen for miles, gone in an instant, and in its place a colossal pillar of blue flames that destroyed anything that dared come in contact with it. Umbreon, meanwhile, was now being held in place by the powerful updraft being created by the calamity below. The rain had immediately evaporated and was now coating the area in a thick layer of steamy shock wave from the pillar immediately uprooted any plant life unfortunate enough to be near it, and was soon incinerated just by being near it moments later. When Talonflame finally closed her beak, the fatigue hit her instantaneously and without mercy. She felt immensely dazed and weak right off the bat, but she'd dealt with worse and was far from out of the count. Talonflame shook her head to clear the dizziness and scanned the skies for Umbreon, who was floating midair, still unconscious, in the grasp of the updraft. Finding her mark, she sped over, grabbed the injured Pokemon, and began her initial objective anew. She dared another look down and saw a veritable warzone aftermath. Where trees and surely many places many Pokemon called home was now a crater, smoke, and a fiery no-mon's land. A pang of guilt rang through Talonflame's very being at that horrible sight, but she had a Mon dying in her talons this very second, and no time could be wasted looking for survivors when she had one right here and right now. All she could do now was pray those below sensed the danger and ran off before the attack hit. She swallowed her regrets and zoomed off in a general direction, hoping it led to society.

* * *

Ash and the gang were currently running through Route 1 as fast as their legs could carry them. Strange noises had coated the skies mere moments ago, such as warped, garbled screeches and what sounded like a bomb going off, and they didn't like it one bit.

"Ash," Serena started, "You don't think it's…"

Ash stopped in his tracks. He looked behind him to see a small river and a waterfall. This place looked tremendously familiar. Ash lightly gasped in realization.

"Pikachu, you remember this place, right?" Ash asked his partner.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked. He put his small hands to his chin in deep thought before he too realized where they currently were and his face lit up. "Pi, Pika!"

Ash nodded and turned to his other companions with a dead serious look on his face, making them deeply unnerved.

"What's with that look, Ash?" Serena asked, "You're scaring me."

"Yeah, you're creepin' me out!" Gary agreed.

Ash closed his eyes, "Guys...I think Talonflame and Umbreon are in grave danger."

Their eyes widened, and Gary too realized their situation.

"That's right!" Gary cried, "This place is infested with Spearow!"

"Aggressive ones, to boot," Ash added, "And now they have a leader."

Serena's face turned pale, "I've heard about stuff like this! Groups of aggressive Spearow's with a leader can have numbers in the thousands! I remember seeing a news report when I was a young about how the Elite Four of Kalos and a massive police force had to be called in to get rid of a migrating flock of Spearow that had numbers that blocked out the skies!"

Ash put a finger to his chin in deep thought, "I left behind my Pidgeot to prevent this from happening before I went home from the League, so maybe it's not as bad as we think."

Ash looked up at his companions with a determined look on his face. There was still danger to be sure. He could worry about his old friend later.

"Regardless, we can't take any chances. It's obvious Talonflame needs help, so let's go!"

Serena and Gary nodded simultaneously while Pikachu crackles his cheeks. With that, the team resumed their search for their comrades.

* * *

High above, Talonflame was on the verge of collapse. She was panting heavily; heavier than she would like to admit. Honestly, she had taken many a glancing blow during that skirmish and a few heavy ones to boot. She could still feel the effects of that Fearow's Drill Peck ringing throughout her body, not to mention the fatigue of dragging around this Umbreon all the while. But all that paled in comparison to the aftermath of...whatever she pulled off back there. She didn't know she was even possible of that much devastation, but she'd think on it more later. Right now, all that mattered was-

" _PIDGYOOOOOOT!"_

Oh, for the love of…

Talonflame stopped in her tracks as a flock of Pidgeys and Pidgeotto appeared with a Pidgeot at the helm flew up from the forestation and directly into her path. And _boy_ did they look ticked off. But then again, so was she. The Pidgeot made a few angered screeching noises and motioned with her beak behind Talonflame to the scene of the forest's demise. Talonflame replied with a few screeching noises of her own, making sure they knew how much of a bad mood she was in right now, and that she was not to be trifled with at the moment. The Pidgeot countered by pointing out the fresh scars and scratches that decorated Talonflame. Talonflame responded by motioning to the Umbreon in vastly worse shape in her talons and told them to get out of her way because she was trying to find a Pokemon Center to save its life. The Pidgeot just gave her an incredulous look.

" _Ta-LO!"_ Talonflame cried. She didn't care if they believed her, she just needed a Pokemon Center and fast.

The Pidgeot gave her another incredulous look, while her underlings simply flew behind her, obviously terrified from the Talonflame's earlier performance. Pidgeot angrily made the argument that if Talonflame really cared about the lives of Pokemon, she wouldn't have destroyed the homes of her flock and many others. Talonflame furiously cried out that she had no choice, and that if she _didn't_ do that, she and Umbreon would have been torn apart by the flock of angry Spearows that attacked her out of nowhere.

Pidgeot's expression loosened at that. That made sense. It wasn't too hard to believe a Pokemon would be pushed into a corner by those familiar brutes. The Pidgeot asked how many there were. Talonflame responded by saying there were thousands, and that they blotted out the sky in their sheer numbers. Pidgeot squacked in surprise. If what this bird was saying was true, then the Spearows were probably going to wipe out their Pidgey adversaries after so many defeats at their hand. To Talonflame's and the Pidgey flock's surprise, Pidgeot bowed her head and promptly called Talonflame their savior and that they would have never been able to survive an encounter with those Spearow in such numbers. Talonflame simply asked them where the nearest Pokemon Center was. Pidgeot deduced that the Talonflame must be pretty desperate if they were willing to ask for help from humans, but promptly offered to escort them to the nearest city, Viridian City, anyways. Talonflame nodded and said she'd appreciate that.

* * *

Down below, Ash's group had finally made it to Viridian City and were met with a battalion of firetrucks blazing past them back into Route 1.

"I was right," Ash said, dread evident in his voice, "Talonflame must have run into trouble.

Serena put a hand on Ash's shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

"Talonflame is strong, Ash," Serena stated confidently, "I'm sure she's fine."

Gary took the opportunity to put a hand on Ash's remaining shoulder, "Yeah, they're probably already at the Pokemon Center!"

Ash's friends' optimism brightened his mood. "Yeah, I shouldn't be so worried. Thanks, guys."

As the group made their way to the Pokemon Center, they were interrupted by one of the many Officer Jenny's.

"Excuse me," She asked, "But do any of you know anything about a forest fire on Route 1? We heard explosions on the route and many reports tell of a hellscape left where there once were trees, and I just so happened to come across you three coming from that general direction."

She gave them a suspicious glare, "Do you three have anything to do with it?"

Instead of the desperate head-shaking and denial she was expecting, what she got were three guilty-looking hanging heads.

"Technically...yeah," Ash started, "We have reason to believe my Talonflame was attempting to fight off a large flock of angry Spearow while trying to fly here to get my friend here's Umbreon to a nearby Pokemon Center after a battle of ours that went south."

Jenny's eyes were as big as dinner plates.

"To be honest," Jenny started, scratching her cheek in embarrassment, "I was just teasing you kids when I asked you that…I didn't really think you three had the ability to cause that much destruction…"

In disbelief, the three trainers and Pikachu fell over with a thud.

"Our Pokemon could be waiting for us in that Center over there at this very moment," Gary started furiously, "And you're over here trying to scare us like kids?!"

Jenny visibly shrunk and laughed nervously to try and sway the young professor from yelling at her further.

"Ehehehe," Laughed Jenny nervously, "I'm uh...sorry for taking your time, have nice day!"

Jenny quickly decided to cut her losses and run for it in an attempt to hopefully keep her job when she realised something, turning back to the three trainers who'd already began making their way to the Center.

"Heeey…," She started, "Wait, didn't you say you guys had something to do with that fire?!"

The three young trainers stopped in their tracks, their faces darkening. The trio turned around to find the officer whom's profession should be in question sprinting at them with handcuffs at the ready. Though instead of running, the young trio simply stared at her... _menacingly!_ Jenny stopped in her tracks, her heels digging into the ground to stop her assault.

She dared to ask, "Um...why aren't you running?"

Gary huffed, "Look, it's been a long day. We'd appreciate it if you didn't take up our time with games, miss."

"Yeah," Ash piped in, "We have an injured and two missing Pokemon possibly waiting for us in the Pokemon Center behind us, so if you could just leave us be, that would be appreciated."

Serena nodded in agreement with her two partners, "I get that you're trying to do your job, but you're really just being needlessly persistent. You're chasing people who aren't running, and it's honestly pretty childish and annoying."

Before Officer Jenny could come up with a retort, the trio turned their backs on her and entered the Pokemon Center behind them.

"Wha-"

Jenny stared downwards and slowly began to fume to herself.

"Games?! Childish?! Annoying?!"

These _kids_ were blatantly disrespecting an officer and the law. She was gonna march right in there and give them each a piece of her mind, and nothing was gonna sto-

Jenny's thought process was promptly ended as she was knocked down by the three figures barging out of the center and running as fast as their legs could carry them.

"Wha- Hey, get back here!"

"No can do!" Ash called back, "Our Pokemon aren't here yet, and we're worried they're lost in the forest!"

* * *

Not so far above, Talonflame flew with increasing difficulty alongside her newfound acquaintances. Some of the Pidgeys were looking at her with concern while the Pidgeotto were either looking ahead or giving her an odd look. She didn't like this attention, especially in her current state. Suddenly, the rest of the flock stopped, and Talonflame had to force herself with great effort to do the same.

Pidgeot turned around and told Talonflame that this was as far as they'd go and that a city was ahead not too far from here. Talonflame chirped a thanks and bolted ahead, eager to finally get some rest and hopefully save this Umbreon's life.

As Talonflame flew, a glint appeared in front of her, grasping her attention. Was that...yes, it was. She could finally see buildings up ahead. With what little might she had left, she bolted ahead at full speed to her destination. Once having finally reached the city, she scanned it from above until she finally saw the familiar red roof of a Pokemon Center. With one last puff of air, she nosedived downwards and spread her wings just before hitting the ground. There it was. Never was she this relieved in her life. The end of Team Flare, oddly enough, felt meager in comparison. She never had the chance to exert such force and have everything to lose there as she had plenty of backup. Here, she was alone, save the Pidgeot's flock from earlier, and forced to look after a swiftly dying Pokemon. Speaking of dying Pokemon, she burst through the doors of the Pokemon Center, startling those nearby into falling backwards. Talonflame ignored them and sped right up to the front counter, screeching a plea for help. The pink-haired doctress, the famous Nurse Joy, quickly snapped out of her trance at the sight and called two medical beds to be pulled up for the two injured Pokemon.

"Chanse, Chanse!" A pudgy, pink Pokemon with a nurse's hat cried out, quickly bursting into action and fetching out two carrier beds for them.

Talonflame eagerly flew Umbreon onto one of the beds, ecstatic to finally be free of this burden. Now only time could tell Umbreon's fate. Now, normally Talonflame's pride wouldn't allow her to be taken care of while unconscious, but she didn't really have much choice in the moment. She fluttered down onto the remaining bed, finally allowing a long-awaited rest to overtake her.

* * *

Ash, Serena, and Gary ran full speed into the forests of Route 1, their fears and worries for the lives of their Pokemon weighing down on their minds. They know the screeches and explosions from earlier only meant bad, but Jenny described it as a "hellscape", and with their Pokemon nowhere in sight, they were all in a frenzy. It wasn't helping that firetruck alarms were blaring and the area was swarmed with heat.

Smoke began wafting throughout the area, showing that they were getting closer to reaching their supposed goal. Ash suddenly stopped in his tracks, making his two followers follow suit. Orange and black decorated the foreseeable area ahead of them. The ground began to rumble as a large tree tilted and capsized to the side, revealing a large fire directly in front of them. This didn't sway Ash in the slightest. He began to dart into the forest, only for the scruff of his shirt to be pulled back by Gary.

"Lemme go!" Ash cried, "Our Pokemon are in there, I have to save them!"

Gary roughly pulled back the scruff of Ash's shirt and grabbed his shoulders to hold him still.

"There's no way we'll survive in there, Ash!" Gary shouted, "We'll suffocate in that smoke even faster than we'd burn alive!"

Ash shoved Gary off of him and argued back, "Our Pokemon are in there! I'm not gonna let them die!"

"And what about you, then?! What if _you_ die in there, looking for Pokemon that might not even _be_ there, huh?!

"I-"

" _LISTEN,_ Ash! Are you really going to leave all your other Pokemon behind like that?! Like Pikachu?!"

Pikachu gave Ash a pleading look that made him feel horrible down to the core.

"Pi, Pika Pi…"

"I…"

Gary directed his arm at Serena. "What about her, then?! Are you gonna die and leave her behind—everyone behind, for a crisis that might not even be happening?!"

Ash looked at Serena, a guilt-stricken look overcoming him at her horrified face. He looked down and clenched his fists, cursing his weakness.

"Ash," Gary suddenly said, putting his hand on Ash's shoulder and directing his head so that the two were staring directly into each other's eyes, "Talonflame is strong. Umbreon is strong. Those two will be fine. If Talonflame can cause such a disaster as this, wouldn't it be able to survive one as well?"

Gary gave a genuine, reassuring smile. Not his usual cocky grin, but an actual, genuine smile.

"You have faith in your Pokemon, right?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Then they'll be fine. They'll probably be waiting for us at the Center. You know that."

Ash looked down.

"You're right," He said sullenly, "Let's...let's head back."

Before they headed back, Ash turned to Serena and enveloped her in a hug.

"I'm sorry," He said simply.

"Ash…"

Serena returned the sudden hug with an appreciative smile.

"You have nothing to apologise for. There's no shame in caring."

Gary chuckled behind them, "That's the spirit!" Now let's head home before we all get lung cancer from all this smoke."

Gary's sharp wit immediately helped brighten the mood amidst the dark forest, and the rest of the group slowly began laughing along. Finally, the group began to leave the burning forest to its demise to save themselves one.

* * *

The young triad and Pikachu finally made their way out of the burning forest and back to Viridian City. They eagerly rushed back to the Pokemon Center, their hopes of their Pokemon's survival fueling them. The group barged into the center, earning a few odd looks, especially now that they were, ironically, covered in ash from the forest. Ash looked around in a frenzy, still not seeing either missing Pokemon. He was about to rush back out when Gary dragged him back by the back of his shirt and gave him a reassuring look.

"C'mon," Said Gary, "Let's go see if they have 'em in the back already."

Ash slowly nodded and the trio walked up to the empty front desk. They noticed a small bell on the desk and rang it to hopefully get the attention of anyone who might be on duty.

"Just a minute!" A voice cried out, "I have two gravely injured Pokemon here that need to be stabilized!"

The trio gasped and nodded to each other. Their hearts pounded in worry.

"Are they a Talonflame and an Umbreon?!" Ash cried hopefully.

"They're yours?!" The voice cried back, "Please, come in, but be careful not to touch the machinery!"

The trio let out a long-awaited mixture of a sigh and a gasp. Finally, some good news.

"Told ya so," Gary teased.

Ash knew Gary meant well in saying that, so he simply gave a thankful nod. He probably saved his life. The trio and Pikachu happily darted behind the desk into the infirmary to see rows of injured or tired Pokemon, probably from the forest disaster. Lo and behold, the familiar faces of Talonflame and Umbreon.

"Oh thank Arceus," Serena sighed.

The trio rushed over to the beds that held their Pokemon and gave Nurse Joy, who was doing her best to keep the Pokemon alive. She worked busily back and forth to collect tools needed to patch up Umbreon, whom she was currently working on.

"How are they?" Asked Gary tentatively.

Joy looked at them and paused before answering hesitantly.

"The Talonflame will be alright, but...it's not looking too good for the Umbreon…"

"What?!" Gary demanded.

"I'm doing all I can for him!" Pleaded Nurse Joy.

Gary huffed, "I know, I wasn't saying otherwise. I just want to know if he'll survive…"

Joy paused and sullenly turned back to face Umbreon.

"...It doesn't look good…"

Gary shivered, his eyes darkening. "Just...just do your best…"

Joy stared him straight in the eyes and gave him a reassuring smile. "I promise."

Gary managed to give a weak smile before turning around to leave the room. He...needed some time alone.

"Gary?" Serena hesitantly asked, "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," Gary replied without stopping, "I just need some time alone…"

"Take your time," Ash said encouragingly.

"Thanks Ash…really, thanks."

With that, Gary left the infirmary room. Wasn't much there to do there, anyways. As he re-entered the lobby, Gary saw a familiar face that wasn't welcome at the moment. Officer Jenny sat at a nearby table, waiting for them. Gary gave her a glare that told her he wasn't in the mood. Her look back told him she wasn't planning on it. He gratefully nodded to her and made his way out the front door. With a loud sigh, he plopped down by the side of the front door. He could feel his consciousness fading. The fatigue was catching up to him, not that there was much he could do about it. With one last sigh, he allowed darkness and exhaustion to overtake him.

Jenny stepped outside, figuring she'd get a response out of them sooner or later if she waited when she saw the sleeping boy sitting outside. She smiled sympathetically and walked back inside the Center. She whispered something to a Chansey and shortly came back out holding a blanket. She made her over way to the unconscious professor and draped the cloth over him. She gave him a satisfied smile and walked off to get some sleep of her own.

* * *

The next morning, Ash and Serena were snoring loudly on a bench in the lobby. Their heads touched as they slept and Pikachu lied happily on Ash's chest. Outside, Gary's eyes slowly opened from his well-deserved rest. He noticed he'd been blanketed, but didn't think too hard on it as the thoughts of his Umbreon immediately assaulted his mind and clouded out anything else. He kicked off the blanket and scrambled for the door.

"HEY!" Gary yelled, startling Ash and Serena into bumping their heads together and Pikachu into shocking the two of them afterward, burning their clothes and frizzing their hair.

"Ouch!" Ash complained as he rubbed his head, "What's the big idea?!"

Ash's words fell on deaf ears as Gary hopped over the front desk and sprinted into the infirmary. Ash and Serena simply looked at each other oddly and shrugged before following.

"Is Umbreon okay?!" Cried Gary as he entered the room, Ash and Serena soon following.

Nurse Joy tiredly gave them a weak smile. She had intense bags under her eyes.

"Both of them...will survive."

Nurse Joy tried to stand up, only for her to let out a cry and fall forwards. Quickly thinking, Serena lept into action and caught the Nurse before her descent ended and helped her to her feet.

"Are you okay?!" Cried Serena in concern.

"I'll be fine," Replied Nurse Joy, "I'm just...tired…"

"Phew," Commented Ash, "Nice going, Serena!"

"Yeah, nice job!" Gary agreed, "Both of ya, that is!"

Serena's signature light blush showed itself at all this praise, her face turning pink.

"Hehe," She giggled, "Thanks, guys."

Nurse Joy opted to release herself from Serena's grasp, awkwardly trying to find her footing. Serena tentatively released the Nurse and stepped back, letting her gain her bearings. Joy stumbled a bit before gaining the ability to stand on her own and spoke.

"As I said before, Talonflame will make a full recovery so long as you keep it out of battles for a week or two."

"That's a relief," Ash sighed.

"...What about Umbreon?" Hesitantly asked Gary.

"Umbreon...will survive…"

"Lay it on me," Pleaded Gary, "I need to know the worst of it...please…"

Nurse Joy seemingly struggled to say what came next.

"Umbreon will survive...but it will _never_ fight again. Its tissue will crumple like paper if it takes a hit or tries to throw one out. It's a miracle I managed to save its life at all…"

Gary slowly gripped his fists and his voice shook a little louder than he would have liked at hearing those words. His body began to tremble uncontrollably.

"I-I-I...s-see…"

"Please, I understand if you're angry, but-"

Nurse Joy was interrupted by Gary raising his shaking hand to stop her from saying anything further.

"No, there's nothing to be angry at you for…any trainer who's worth anything knows that anything that happens to their Pokemon is _their own_ fault. Not the Pokemon, not anyone else. The trainers only have themselves to blame."

Gary managed a smile and everyone in the room could see bright tears threatening to drop from his eyes.

"Thank you for saving my Umbreon's life, Nurse Joy...thank you…"

Nurse Joy smiled brightly at this display. This young trainer's resolve deeply touched her, as there weren't many trainers who would take such dark news so lightly.

"I'll call you up once Umbreon is ready. All it needs now is rest."

"Thanks, Nurse Joy...for everything."

Nurse Joy happily nodded and Gary went on his way back to the lobby.

Nurse Joy turned her gaze to Ash, "As for you…"

"Huh?"

"You're lucky. Outside of exhaustion and some scratches here and there, Talonflame was fine when it got here. That's one of the toughest Pokemon I've ever seen. It should be ready when you are. Just keep it out of battle for a while and it'll be right as rain."

Ash laughed happily, "Well, that's a relief. So, can I take her back now?"

With a nod of approval from the nurse, the young trainer happily ran over to his sleeping companion and returned her to her Pokeball in a familiar red beam.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash chirped happily.

Nurse Joy bowed. "It was my pleasure."

As the two trainers made their way back into the lobby, Serena tugged lightly on the arm of Ash's shirt to get his attention.

"What is it?" Ash asked.

"I was just wondering," Serena started, "Was there...anything you wanted to do in particular, Ash?"

Ash shrugged, "No, not really in particular. I was just gonna relax in Pallet Town at home for a while. I also thought about heading over to this one place called Alola, but then I heard there wasn't a League over there, so I decided against it. You?"

"Well…," Serena started hesitantly, twiddling her thumbs nervously, "I was kinda thinking about taking on the Kanto League. I wanna become strong, like you."

* * *

AN:

Hydra's being lazy, so it looks like me, THE CREATOR is gonna handle this AN alone. H. O. L. Y. CRAP that was way longer than anticipated. Initially, this chapter was only gonna be three-thousand words at max...that didn't work out, did it? I hope this makes up for missing TWO DEADLINES :(. I had virtually only less than a week to work on it since I had eight hours of work for nine days straight. Luckily, I got bit by the inspiration bug which led to the plot of this chapter: Whatever the actual hell Talonflame did to those Spearow and Fearow. I'll get on to explaining what exactly that was in the next chapter. Spoiler alert: I watched Shin Gojira lol.

 _ **St Elmo's Fire**_

" _Read this: fanfiction {dot} net/topic/11834/55376155/1/Capitalization-Thread_

 _You wouldn't capitalize animal or mouse or dragon, so you shouldn't capitalize words like pokemon or pikachu or charizard. The only time you should capitalize it is if you're using it as the pokemon's name, ie, Ash's pikachu is called Pikachu. This is because you only capitalize when it's a proper noun, which are the names of places or things. Similar reasoning should be applied to any other words you're thinking of capitalizing, like telephone or trainer. Or professor. If you object to this, please take it to the thread instead of messaging me._

 _This belongs in the Anime world. Find your story under "Manage Stories" and select it from the dropdown menu that says "World: Any" in the "Category" section._

 _[It suited Him]_

 _Errant capital._

 _You're formatting dialogue incorrectly. Dialogue is written as ["Hello," she said] or ["Hello!" she said], never ["Hello." She said] or ["Hello", she said] or ["Hello" she said]. This is because dialogue and speech tags are considered to be part of the same sentence, so they have to flow together. The only exception to this is if the next sentence doesn't contain a speech verb. In that case, the second part iis/i considered a separate sentence, so it's written as ["Hello." She grinned], never ["Hello," she grinned]. Note that something isn't a speech verb just because it's a sound you make with your mouth, so generally stuff like "laughed" or "giggled" is in the second category. ("Speak" is also not a speech verb.) Furthermore, if you're breaking up two complete sentences it's ["Hi," she said. "This is it."] not ["Hi," she said, "this is it."] or ["Hi," she said "this is it."] And if you're breaking up a sentence in the middle, it's ["Hi. This," she said, "is it."] The same punctuation and capitalization rules apply to thoughts, except you don't use quotation marks (or single quotes) with thoughts. This is because quotation marks for thoughts make it look like your characters are talking out loud, which is confusing to the reader._

 _Also, when you quote inside a quote, you use single quotes instead of double quotes; otherwise, the reader will be confused about where the dialogue ends. (If you quote inside a quote inside a quote, you go back to double quotes.)_

 _[HALL OF ORIGINS]_

 _This is jarring; it's better to use generalized scene transitions. Time and place should be clear from context or narration._

 _[In an empty space in a place far beyond human comprehension, the Alpha Pokemon Arceus himself stood in front of every legendary Pokemon currently known.]_

 _This makes no sense. Arceus is not a god in anime canon, it's just a powerful pokemon._

 _Having Deoxys attend is particularly bizarre. Deoxys has absolutely no connection to anything divine, it's just an alien who showed up one day._

 _You should separate your author notes with a horizontal line; otherwise, they look like part of the story."_

I'll admit, your criticisms did play a part in how I orchestrated this new chapter. I went back and fixed some things in the previous chapter for that. A lot of your criticisms hold no actual merit, however, but that is no fault of yours, as they are things that will be addressed later in the story. But...everyone capitalizes Pokemon names, dude. Take a look at subtitles for any Pokemon anime episode and you'll see.

 _ **The OG Pokemon Master**_

" _HELLS YEAH! THIS IS AWESOME!_

 _1) 7.8/10 not enough water_

 _2) Bipolar Blaziken-Man!_

 _3) "... Friend Mairin"_

 _4) Jenny: "Let's take fire types to subdue an elite fire-type trainer!"_

 _4.5) With a police force like that it's almost surprising that Jessie and James never were successful. ...almost._

 _5) (as I'm reading) Naw, he won't release Greninja, right? *two paragraphs later* ...shit._

 _6) THE BATTLE OF THE AGES: Pikachu vs Bunnelby._

 _7) Again. You asshole! Greninja is awesome._

 _Haha I'm just messing with you but did you have to do that? :(_

 _8)"MIGHT I HAVE THINE ATTENTION"_

 _"Bitch we playin Monopoly. Wait."_

 _"I SEE"_

 _9) Deoxys and Necrozma is a connection that I haven't thought about... I may end up referencing that in THL..._

 _Anyways, this is an awesome story! I really love it - keep up the great work both of you._

 _10) I'm not sure if Nova knows me so this review may seem totally random but whatever."_

thanks. It's only gonna get better.

2\. I feel disgusted with myself in the way I characterized Blaziken-Man after rewatching XYZ, so I changed him in the first chapter.

3\. I still giggle at that

4\. Officer Jenny is very incompetent. That much is painfully obvious. "Arcanine, use Flamethrower!" "BITCH, GIMME A FIRE STONE, AND I WILL!"

5\. Sorry :(

6\. Only to be matched by Magikarp VS Metapod

7\. Oh he'll be back...someday…

8\. " _YOU BASTARD, YOU TOOK ALL MY MONEY, ARCEUS DAMN IT!"_ XD.

9\. I don't think they have any real connection outside of this fanfic. Aint gonna stop me from turning Necrozma into Frieza and Boros though.

10\. He's super interested in THL, actually.

 _Hydra- by the way I'm not lazy and I personally don't like cussing but the only reason I'm letting him do it is because he's an author too, please know that he is just joking around and doesn't mean it, but don't worry I will never cuss._

Anyways, PLEASE leave reviews. I swear I will respond to them all, and I love reading each and every one of them. It's my joy as a writer seeing them, and they're a great way to get me inspired to write and pump out chapters faster. I hope these long eight and a half-thousand words were to your guys's liking.


	3. Chapter 3: Repercussions

The room was nearly pitch black, though the bridge was hardly a room, and the innumerable white specs decorating the outside of the ship through the massive glass pane a few kilometers ahead of him. ...So, in all reality, the room wasn't a room and was nowhere near pitch black, but a galactic conquerer can dream, right?

" _Milord,"_ Meekly called one of his minions.

Necrozma wordlessly motioned for them to continue with a simple hand wave.

" _Your greatness,_ " Started the meek jellyfish-looking creature, " _We are currently within range to have you deployed early. You should be able to find the planet on your own from here, should you want to gain your bearings before the rest of us arrive, milord._ "

The galactic conqueror would have broken into a grin, had he a face to do it with. Instead, he opted for a chilling, almost robotic sounding chuckle that made the jellyfish creature shudder.

" _ **I see.**_ "

With only that, the massive glass pane on the head of his ship suddenly shattered and Necrozma disappeared with a chilling howl of laughter. Were it not for the countless number of times he's done this before, his minions would have been sucked into the void outside. It didn't take too long for another pane to appear in the original's place, courtesy of a dark, stringy creature known as Xurkitree. Though, those of days past didn't end up as lucky.

* * *

"Well…," Serena started hesitantly, twiddling her thumbs nervously, "I was kinda thinking about taking on the Kanto League. I wanna become strong, like you."

This took Ash off guard. "Huh. I thought you into performing and stuff. Why the change of heart?"

Serena looked down and twiddled her thumbs, "I just thought...making myself stronger might make me more prepared for stuff like co-ordinating later."

Ash chuckled, "That's some nice foresight there, Serena."

Serena looked back up, her eyes sparkling, "Soooo, is that a yeees?"

Ash laughed heartily, "You betcha! To be perfectly honest, I have a few mistakes that need correcting regarding how well my last run went here."

Serena gripped Ash's arm in an appreciative hug, "Oh, thank you, thank you, thank you!"

"It's no problem really. Besides, with the road to Pallet closed, and no new League to challenge, there wasn't much else to do."

Serena let Ash go and punched him in the arm playfully.

"Don't word it like that!" She pouted.

Ash couldn't help but laugh. "Okay, okay, sorry. We can head out right now if ya want."

This put a spring in Serena's step. She eagerly tugged Ash by the shirt and began rushing out the door.

"Aagh! Uh, bye Gary!" Ash said in a hurry.

Gary cockily smirked at Ash and chuckled while waving back.

As Serena burst out the doors of the Pokemon Center, Ash finally lost his footing and ended up crashing in a heap of comically twisted limbs.

"C'mon, Ash!" Serena chirped from ahead, "We gotta get to the first Gym battle!"

Ash groaned, "Serena, that way's the Indigo Plateau! Pewter City's that way!"

Serena stopped in her tracks and turned around to see Ash pointing in the opposite direction from where she was running. Her face turned her familiar bright pink and she slowly made her way back over to where Ash was picking himself up. She offered her hand in apology, to which Ash happily took it to heave himself off the ground.

"Umm," Serena started timidly, "...You should lead…"

"No kiddin'?" Ash said with a chuckle.

Ash simply wrapped an arm around Serena before she could embarrass herself further, changing her face from pink to red, and the two went on their way...or they would have, were it not for a high-pitched voice calling out to them.

"Excuse me," The voice cried.

The couple turned their heads to see a lady with a microphone and a man struggling to carry a large camera sprinting at them at full speed. Ash was shortly met with a microphone plunged into his face.

"Pardon me," The woman chirped while Ash was struggling to get some elbow room, "But we've received word that you are in possession of a Talonflame, correct?"

"Erm," Ash started uncomfortably, "Yeah…? What about it?"

Ash saw the cameraman positioning himself in different spaces, like he was intentionally attempting to make Serena as uncomfortable as possible with how close the camera was to her face.

"Well," The lady spoke, interrupting Ash's thought process, "We discovered some pretty disturbing footage of what your Pokemon is capable of."

Ash narrowed his eyes. He didn't like the way she worded that.

"What do you mean by disturbing?"

"Oh, you mean to tell me you didn't know? Your Talonflame is the one who destroyed Route 1!"

Ash frowned. They pretty much confirmed his theory.

The woman grinned like a child on Christmas morning when she saw his face.

"Aha, so you _do_ know something about it."

"Ash, these people are really making me uncomfortable," Serena complained.

"You heard it here, folks," The woman said suddenly, grabbing the camera's focus from Serena, "We've pinned down the trainer who's Pokemon is responsible for the destruction of Route 1!"

"Hey, that's not fair!" Ash cried, "My Talonflame wouldn't just destroy an entire forest without a reason!"

"Reason, indeed" The woman agreed, to Ash's confusion.

The woman extended her arm outward and posed dramatically, "For the story of this young boy's Talonflame is one of misunderstanding!"

The newswoman draped a hand over her head and raised her leg skyward, "It is a story of untold heroism!"

"Uh…"

She looked back and winked to Ash knowingly. "Watch! Watch what _truly_ happened during that fateful day!"

"That fateful day was yesterday…" Serena muttered.

The cameraman took the hint and fumbled around with his oversized camera until the playback of the Spearow's assault started playing on the camera and was being broadcasted live.

"You see, beloved audience, Talonflame was actually repelling a colossal flock of aggravated Spearow led by a Fearow! But wait, what is that?! Talonflame seems to be carrying something in its talons, but it's too dark to see it."

She turned to Ash, holding the microphone up to him. "Would you know anything about this?

Ash snapped out of his daze from watching Talonflame's display, "Oh, uh, right. He was carrying my friend's injured Umbreon and trying to get it to a Pokemon Center."

"Do you hear that?!" The newswoman demanded of her audience, "How noble! Sacrificing life and limb for the sake of another Pokemon!"

Again, she winked knowingly at Ash. Ash figured out what she was trying to accomplish, and winked back in appreciation.

"Oh, but what's this?!" She cried, "The moment of truth has arrived! After a long wait, is this the end?!"

The footage cut to Talonflame puffing up her chest and releasing the brilliant pillar of blue flames upon the attacking flock and destroying the surrounding forest. Ash and Serena stared into the camera playback, completely dazed at the display of brilliant power. Ash looked in awe at the Pokeball on his belt. He'd definitely look into that later.

"There is is, folks!" Cried the newswoman a little too enthusiastically for Ash's liking, "The event that destroyed the forest! Talonflame was pushed into a corner and forced to obliterate everything in it's path to save Umbreon!"

The newswoman pretended to cry, striking a pose by raising both her arms skyward. "What a valiant Pokemon! Isn't that right, folks at home?! Three cheers for Talonflame! ...Oh, and it looks like we're out of screen time! Au revoir, lovelies at home!"

The cameraman gave a thumbs up to the newswoman signaling that they were no longer online. The newswoman let out a loud sigh at that and turned to the two young trainers behind her.

"Well," She asked, "How'd I do?"

"You did fine, but...why did you go out of your way to make the situation sound better than it was for our sakes?" Asked Ash.

"Yeah," Agreed Serena, "Who are you guys anyways?"

A sharp grin manifested on the newswoman's face. "Just a reporter who prides herself on being credible. I know a couple of good kids when I see 'em."

"Well thanks," Ash waved as he and Serena began to leave, though the newswoman didn't notice.

"Yeah, we owe you one!" Agreed Serena.

"Aw, it was nothing. I'm just a gal who does her job right. By the way, do you wanna hear about how I recorded an alien Pokemon fighting the Legendary Rayquaza a few years back? I had to sneak into a scientific observatory, and boy were they ma-"

"They already left," Interjected the cameraman.

"Wait, what? WHAT?!"

She turned around to see that the young couple had indeed left long since left her in the dust. She growled furiously, practically blowing smoke out of her nose in the process.

"THEY DID! THEY LEFT US, THOSE NO-GOOD LITTLE…"

All the newswoman could muster as she pulled away at her hair in frustration was an echoing yell to the heavens above.

" _ **HMM?"**_ Asked a familiar figure who simply shrugged and went back to doing absolutely nothing.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash, Serena, and Pikachu had finally made their way into Viridian Forest. The greenery was clouding almost all light that came through despite it being in the middle of the day. Serena had to constantly brush vines and webs out of her way due to the sheer amount of wildlife in this particular area.

"WAAUGH, PHHAUGH!" Serena coughed as yet another form of wildlife, her greatest weakness, decided to enter her mouth for the fortieth time.

"Havin' fun back there?" Ash teased, earning a playful shove that made Ash fall face first into a pile of leaves where he lay unmoving.

Serena scoffed, "C'mon, Ash, let's get moving."

Serena began to walk off deeper into the forest only to notice Ash wasn't following. She gingerly stepped back a few feet to gaze upon the unmoving body of her boyfriend.

"...Ash?" She hesitantly dared to ask.

Serena got down on her hands and knees, trying to shake her boyfriend awake. When that didn't work, she tried poking and prodding him, to no avail. Dread clouding her judgement at the prospect of accidentally giving her boyfriend head trauma, she dared to get close to his face.

"A-ash...p-please wak-"

"GAAAAH!

"AAAUUUUUGGHH!"

Serena had bolted backwards, now on her behind and in a defensive position while Ash sat on the leaves he fell into, his laughter echoing through the trees. Serena sat there, frozen in a mixture of lingering surprise, seething fury, and yet still the feeling of relief that Ash was okay, even after pulling that stunt.

"Ash, you dummy…I was actually worried about you!"

Ash managed to settle himself, as not to further test his girlfriend's leniency. He expected her to be way madder. ...Maybe he should go out of his way to do something for Serena once in a while. He helped Serena to her feet and slung his arm around her.

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry. Let's get outta this forest, okay?"

"Okay," Serena conceded, unable to remain angry at Ash for long.

"That's the spirit!" Ash cheered, dragging Serena along with him...quite literally.

"Pika, Pi…" Pikachu sighed hopelessly, knowing Ash would pull a stunt like that.

The rest of their walk through Viridian Forest went relatively smoothly. The views were pretty, they saw a few Caterpie and Weedle duking it out, and they eventually stumbled onto a young Caterpie struggling to climb a tree. Of course, Ash immediately went to help the poor creature onto a tree branch.

"You okay Ash?" Serena asked, "You're smiling even more than usual."

"Just nostalgia," Ash replied back. "This place is where I caught my first Pokemon outside of Pikachu. He was a Caterpie. He left before long, but he grew up fast."

It was at that point Ash noticed something familiar. In a very small circle of trees, there lied a tree stump in the middle. This place...Ash remembered it fondly, though he doubt his old companion at the time did. He could remember crawling backwards up to a tree to get away from his Caterpie all those years back...those four years back…

He was snapped out of his reminiscing by an intense buzzing sound. All he heard was someone calling his name before he was abruptly tackled to the ground and the intense buzzing swarmed overhead. Ash didn't dare look up for fear of provoking one of those things into attack. It didn't take him long to figure out that a swarm of Beedrill had passed overhead. He slowly raised his head after the incident and turned back to find that Serena had indeed had the foresight and reflexes to push him down before they were torn to shreds. Luckily, Pikachu was too small to be noticed by them anyways.

"Thanks, Serena," Ash said gratefully, "I would've been attacked by those things if you hadn't saved me right there."

Serena giggled happily, "Oh, it was nothing."

Ash turned to his partner behind him, "You okay, buddy?"

"Pika-Pi!" Was his response, along with the mouse hopping on Ash's shoulder.

"There's an opening in the forest over there, Ash." Serena pointed out, "We can use it to gain our bearings."

Ash pumped a fist, "Good thinkin' Serena! C'mon, guys, let's go!"

The trio made their way out into the open field, where the heat and sunlight immediately berated them upon exiting the forestation. They had to shield their eyes for a few moments before slowly blinking their sight back. They took a look around the opening for any direction that might seem beneficial, but nothing of value was to be found.

"You have returned, Palette Trainer." A voice stated.

Out from the underbrush came a large teenage boy decked in a full black suit of black, gilded samurai armor, katana and all. He took one look at the trio before him before hopping in the air and drawing his sword with a battle cry. Pikachu sprung into action, releasing an Iron Tail to clash with the samurai's sword. Pikachu and the Samurai landed in the opposite spaces from where they jumped, neither moving a muscle. Ash and Serena stared silently and with baited breath to see who would fall. Finally, the samurai's sword split in half and he fell onto his hands and knees.

"Your Pokemon," The samurai gasped out, "Are indeed stronger than when we first met, ...it was Ash, correct?"

"Yeah," Ash said as he ran to help the samurai to his feet, "But how did you know that?"

"What?!" The samurai demanded, pointing what was left of his sword at Ash's face, "You forgot the great Samurai?!"

Serena deadpanned, "You're a samurai who's name is Samurai?"

"Indeed!" Cried Samurai, "And my battle with Ash long ago was a struggle that shook the very heavens above! Our Pokemon fought valiantly for hours on end with neither ever showing even an ounce of fatigue! Our fight might not have ever ended hadn't a swarm of Beedrill forced us to flee!"

Samurai pointed a finger at Ash to substitute the remainder of his blade, "And speaking of a swarm of Beedrill, where does one lead be but to you, Pallet Trainer Ash?! Fate has clearly ordained our rematch!"

"Well," Ash said with a grin, taking out the pokeball of his Noivern, "I'm up for a match if you are!"

Samurai shook his head with a frown, much to Ash's confusion.

"No, Ash. I've heard what power your Pokemon possess. I know how your Talonflame battled an entire flock of Spearow and a Fearow, to boot, and your Pikachu's power is nothing to scoff at, either. I wouldn't stand a chance against you now. Fate is cruel, this day."

A shine could be seen in the shadow of Samurai's eyes, however, and a grin crept up his face.

"However, fate will get a battle this day!"

Samurai directed his half-sword in Serena's direction, "For I challenge you, instead!"

"Wha- what?!" Serena cried, not expecting to be called out into the blue.

"Not a bad idea," Ash agreed to Serena's horror, "It'll be good practice for her Gym Challenge."

Samurai readied a Pokeball, "A Gym challenger, eh? Then this'll be an interesting fight!"

"C'mon, Serena!" Ash called, "You aren't gonna become a better fighter if you don't accept challengers!"

Serena sighed, "I suppose that's true…"

Serena readied a pokeball of her own in response. Ash walked to the side and raised an arm.

"I'll be the referee. This will be a three on three match. Whoever runs out of Pokemon first loses! Go!"

"Pinsir, Go!" Samurai cried, throwing his pokeball into the field, releasing a brown, bipedal stag beetle with bony arms, clawed hands, an odd mouth with thin fangs on the sides of its mouth, and giant pronged horns that looked strong enough to crush just about anything.

Serena cringed at the sight of that Pinsir. It looked incredibly strong, but she wasn't gonna back down!

Serena nodded at her pokeball and tossed into the air. "Go, Braixen!"

The pokeball opened to release an orange, bipedal fox with a stick in her puffy tail. She grabbed the stick, lighting it in the process and twirled it in her hand before pointing it menacingly in Pinsir's direction.

"Fire types don't scare us!" Samurai proclaimed, "Pinsir, Vice Grip!"

The Pinsir sprinted at Braixen with its pincers wide open, looking similar to a pair of open jaws.

"Jump out of the way and use Flamethrower!" Commanded Serena.

In obedience to her partner's wishes, Braixen hopped upward out of reach of the strong pincers and released a stream of fire from her mouth into its face as it looked upward.

"Pinsir, no!" Cried Samurai, "Jump and use Vice Grip!"

To both Serena's and Braixen's surprise, the Pinsir jumped up, toughing out the flames and gripping its enemy tightly, making her scream in pain. She wildly flailed, but she was facing upward now due to trying to escape the pincers, so she couldn't aim a fire attack at her attacker.

"Braixen, no!" Screamed Serena. She looked over to Ash to see him smirking confidently in her direction. She looked at him pleadingly and with confusion, but he just shook his head.

"Serena, you've gotta do these things on your own sometimes," He shouted over, "There might come times where I won't be able to help you. You've gotta do this for yourself! I know you can do it, so trust yourself!"

"Trust myself," Serena muttered to herself. "...I can do this…"

An idea popped in her head, "Braixen, use Flamethrower upward to push yourself down!"

Braixen had no idea what her partner's aim was, but trusted her enough to comply. She inhaled a large sum of air before releasing a jet of flames from her mouth, and to her trainer's credit, she began rocketing downward.

"Release and jump away!" Commanded Samurai.

Serena smirked. Her plan had worked like a charm.

"Flamethrower downwards!"

With nothing to stop her movement, Braixen turned around and released another jet of flames into the Pinsir's face, sending it rocketing towards the ground and slowing her descent so she could land without harm. Braixen and Serena both struck a pose by raising their arms skyward in unison.

"Seismic Toss!" Samurai ordered, snapping his opponents out of their celebration.

Out from the ground underneath Braixen, Pinsir erupted, flinging Braixen upward and pelting her with stones so that she couldn't open her eyes long enough to know where her adversary was so she could dodge its assault. She soon found herself once again clamped down, though she was given no time to repeat her method of escape as she was hurled to the ground before she could even blink. She could barely feel her breath escape her as the pain hadn't even registered yet as she was bounced onto the ground on her back, sending her into the air once more.

"Braixen!" Shouted Serena.

"Pinsir, Mega Punch!"

Serena and even Ash watched in horror as Pinsir's arm began to glow and it rocketed straight into Braixen's gut, burying the both of them and sending out a shockwave that practically blew up the battlefield, making the very ground seemingly stand on edge. Serena wouldn't soon forget the gut-wrenching noise that punch made. Pinsir soon hopped back out, still looking fit to fight as it roared in triumph.

"Braixen, no!" Cried Serena as she ran to the crater that held her unconscious Pokemon.

"A little brutal, don't you think?" Ash calmly asked Samurai.

"The real world is brutal," Countered Samurai, not taking his eyes off the battlefield, "You know that. She needs to learn that. We both know there's no way she'll clear the Gym challenge if she can't bounce back from this."

Ash sighed, but had to agree. There was many a time where his own team took a devastating loss. Speaking of devastating, didn't this guy threaten to snap his Metapod in half back in the day? His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a muffled, high-pitched roar. Ash and Samurai both looked around to attempt to identify the source of the sound until it became loud enough that the two could identify it coming from the crater.

Meanwhile, Serena was standing in awe above the hole her partner was planted into. As she peered into the hole, she could see and feel searing flames threatening to burst out like a volcanic eruption. Her attention snapped over a few feet away where a bright ball of fire seemingly lept out of the uprooted ground. And touched down facing the Pinsir. As the flames around it died down, Braixen was revealed to be standing, but also completely hunched over. She looked completely animalistic, which unnerved everyone currently looking at her. Suddenly, Braixen's back arched upwards and she let out a mixture of a scream and a roar as pillar of flames erupted around her.

"Agh!" Serena cried, "Braixen, what's wrong?!"

Braixen's attention snapped to look at the voice to see her partner staring back. Braixen simply gave a light "hmph" and grinned, showing she was ready for combat. Her hands lit up in brilliant flames and she gained a combat stance that seemed more ferocious than her usual self and nodded to her partner.

"All right!" Serena cheered, doing another synchronized pose with Braixen, "We're back in the game!"

"Nice going, Serena!" Ash cheered from the sidelines. "I think that's Braixen's Blaze ability!"

"No matter," Samurai roared, "We're far from done here too! Pinsir, Mega Punch!"

As Pinsir attempted to repeat history, Braixen grabbed her enemies' arm and heated up her paws, making Pinsir cry out in agony before using one of her said flaming paws to punch it directly in the face. Pinsir's face practically imploded from the force of the punch and it was sent flying backward directly into a tree, snapping the tree in half while Pinsir itself fell to the ground limply.

"Wow, you learned Fire Punch, Braixen!" Cheered stated in awe.

" _Braaaai!_ " Braixen roared in triumph.

"Pinsir is unable to battle!" Ash proudly proclaimed, "Braixen is the winner!"

"Nice job, Braixen!" Serena cheered, "You deserve a good rest,"

Serena attempted to return Braixen to her Pokeball, but Braixen dodged out of the red beam's way and used her psychic powers to return it to Serena's bag. She gave Serena a cocky smirk telling her partner she was still raring to go. Serena giggled eagerly at her Pokemon's display of confidence.

"All right," Serena chirped, "Go get em if you're up for it!"

"You did good, Pinsir," Samurai sighed, returning his Pokemon to its pokeball and turning his attention to Serena, "I'll use my most recent catch. Go, Beedrill!"

Samurai tossed another Pokeball onto the field, releasing a large, bipedal bee with, surely enough, two giant drills in place of hands. The menacing Pokemon didn't even make its opponents flinch, which actually surprised Serena. Normally she'd wince at seeing something so intimidating on the opposite side of the field. She guessed Braixen was simply wearing off on her...or maybe this was what being a trainer felt like? The Beedrill hissed at them, and Braixen curled her fingers tauntingly.

"Beedrill, use Twineedle!" Samurai ordered.

"Dodge it!" Serena countered.

Beedrill began assaulting Braixen with quick, blurring jabs that seemingly pierced the air around her. In turn, Braixen simply sidestepped each jab that came her way, making little "Nyeh" noises to taunt the Beedrill while she was at it.

"Strike back with whatever you want when you're done." Serena offered arrogantly.

Braixen snickered cockily. She liked the way her trainer thought. She, quite literally, danced around Beedrill's attacks while continuously mocking her opponent through it all. She even opted to cross her arms behind her back while still ducking and jumping over her enemy's feeble attacks.

"Nyeheheehe!" Braixen giggled.

"Don't get cocky!" Samurai roared, "Beedrill, go all out! Teach this cocky kid a lesson!"

Braixen suddenly found herself having to dodge barely glancing blows. She barely managed to duck as one of her opponent's drills swiped above her head. She attempted to jump out of the way of the next strike only for Samurai to give her and Serena a bone-chilling smirk.

"We've got them right where we want them! Giga Impact!"

"Oh no!" Serena cried out, "Braixen, dodge!"

Beedrill surrounded itself in a ball of purple and yellow spiraling energy and rocketed towards its opposition, leaving a trail of the energy where it once was. Braixen barely managed to sidestep out of the way of the superpowered attack, though it did scrape the side of her arm and she immediately gripped it in an attempt to ease the pain.

"Braixen," Serena shouted in panic, "We have to take this more seriously!"

Braixen nodded, and trainer and Pokemon began to attempt to clear their thoughts with deep breathing to get everything out of their systems. Inhale...exhale...in- Braixen whirled out of the way as another Giga Impact blazed through where she once was.

"Don't stand around in the middle of a fight!" Samurai chided.

Serena huffed, "I guess this is what I get for not simply teaching you Calm Mind,"

Braixen gave her an unamused look.

"Stop standing around!" Samurai shouted as yet another Giga Impact whizzed over Braixen's ducking head.

"Okay, no more distractions!" Serena finally called out, much to her partner's relief. "Flamethrower!"

Braixen released a jet of orange flame into the passing Beedrill, knocking it clear out of the sky. The Beedrill had no way to dodge the attack due to the aftereffects of using Giga Impact.

"Beedrill, no!" Cried Samurai. Maybe he'd been underestimating them as well. "Try to stand up!"

"Blaze effect still going strong!" Cheered Serena, but her and Braixen's eyes sharpened, "But we're not gonna let this go to our heads again."

"Brai!" Braixen roared in agreement.

"Now, rush over while condensing a Flamethrower in your hand and use Fire Punch!"

"What is this?!" Samurai demanded, "Beedrill, please move out of the way!"

Beedrill attempted to obey his master's wishes, but he found his body was unwilling to comply with his mind and he soon doubled over in pain as a flaming fist was rammed into his abdomen. He dared look down and saw Braixen smirking back up at him. She released her palm and a large stream of intense flames shot Beedrill several yards before he finally collided with a tree and fell onto his face with a thud.

Serena and Braixen both sighed in relief. They would be sure to end the next one quickly. Braixen made her way back over to her trainer while Samurai was busy attending to his Beedrill. She winced and stumbled as the pain from the previous battles seemingly caught up with her all at once. Serena ran over to assist her nearly fallen Pokemon and offered her Pokeball.

"Is now a good time for that break?"

Braixen actually stared intensely at the ball, as if giving the thought a chance, but pushed it away with her paw and unsteadily regained her balance on her own. She took a defensive stance and flared up her fiery aura with a defiant roar. Her wounds could whine all they wanted.

Serena chuckled, "Well okay, but remember. If we're gonna win this, we have to take this seriously."

"Brey, Braixen." Serena's faithful partner replied with a nod.

"You ready, Samurai?" Ash asked from the sidelines, "You've only got one chance left."

"Hah!" Samurai laughed, "One chance is all I need."

He held up one last Pokeball that shined brightly in the sunlight.

"For this Pokeball holds my first Pokemon and my partner. That's right. This is the Pokemon that dueled Ash's for hours on end! It is the Pokemon that didn't budge an inch in a battle that lasted for hours! Go, Butterfree!"

Samurai tossed his Pokeball into the air at an angle that made it look as if it were blocking out the very sun itself. A brilliant light shone, blinding Serena and Braixen momentarily as the Pokemon inside the ball was released into the outside world. It stared Braixen in the eyes directly in the eyes as if it were a mere insect ironically. Even though it was a Butterfree, both Serena and Braixen felt an overwhelming presence at seeing it. As they both stared into the Butterfree's condescending eyes, only one thing came to mind: _**FEAR.**_

Ash was standing off to the side looking at that demon of a Butterfree. To think one of his own Pokemon once stood up to such a monstrosity was beyond belief. He stood, mouth agape and paralyzed staring at the back of the beast. He couldn't begin to fathom what Serena was feeling as she stared into the eyes of that unholy abomination.

Speaking of Serena, she was currently using every last fiber of willpower her measly body had in store to just continue to remain on her feet as she stared directly into the eyes of that monstrous Butterfree. It had three claw-like scars on its left eye, though it still had that eye open as if such a scar meant absolutely nothing to it. Everyone on the field could hear its spastic heart beats as if it was demanding its opponents' very souls.

Samurai laughed brutally, "HAH HAHAHAHA! How does it feel to face such overwhelming odds?! How does it feel to face a Pokemon that journied through the very depths of hell itself with me?! This is why you should never act cocky in a battle, for you never truly know what your opposition has in store! Now your Pokemon will face the wrath of the most powerful Butterfree to ever grace this Earth! You shall face the power of a Pokemon that surpasses even the Legends themselves!"

" _ **FFFFFRRRREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"**_

The pure vehemence emanating from this beast's roar was enough to send both Braixen and Serena to the ground as it stripped away every last fiber of strength and willpower from their feeble bodies. They huddled together and hugged each other with their widened eyes having seen a horror worse than anything ever imaginable. Its horror seemingly began to warp the very fabric of reality as the ground and sky seemingly darkened and began to shift, as if the very light and land around them wanted to escape this monstrosity's sheer might.

"Serena!" Called Ash desperately, "You have to forfeit! I wouldn't even be able to fight that thing! There's no shame in knowing when you're outclassed! Forfeit!"

Pikachu had since fallen unconscious beside him.

Serena trembled uncontrollably. She couldn't even move, much less speak, and yet if she didn't say anything, she and Braixen would most certainly be completely obliterated. She struggled to force herself to make a sound, though all she managed to do was make choked squeaking noises. Finally, she was able to spit something out.

"I-" She started with great dread, "I-I I...I I I f...I forf… I...I FORFEIT!"

With those words, the monstrosity disappeared back into its container, and the world went back to normal. It was almost like a dream...was she...dead? She felt almost completely numb. The world was no longer tearing itself apart, and the forest had returned to its sunny demeanor. Birds chirped, wind blew, and the ground was in place. She and Braixen slowly wobbled to their feet, looking around.

"Braixen, punch me," Serena ordered numbly.

Braixen struggled to nod, and punched her trainer directly into her gut, making her double over and stumble backwards. She fell onto her rear, coughing in pain as she did.

"Yep," She coughed, "Still alive…"

"Serena!" Ash called, sprinting over to his girlfriend and embracing her in a hug, "Are you okay?!"

"Y-yeah…" Serena replied numbly.

Ash helped her back to her feet, "I had no idea he had become this strong. I would have never pit you against him if I'd known he had something like _that_ on his team, I'd have never made you fight him."

"Indeed," Agreed Samurai, now having walked over to meet the two. "I don't think she'll be overestimating herself any longer, isn't that right?"

Both Serena and her Braixen nodded furiously, clearly still in terror over the traumatising event.

"I suppose that's one way to nail that lesson into her head," Ash relented, "Though that was still far more brutal than how I learned."

"And how long, exactly, did it take you to learn that lesson?" Samurai challenged.

Ash laughed and rubbed the back of his head in embarrassment, "True enough, but that was still way over the top."

Samurai laughed back, "Maybe so, but the sooner she learns the better."

Samurai pointed over to his left and into the forestation, "Walk into the forest there and keep going straight. You'll soon find the entrance to Pewter City. See ya, guys!"

"Thanks!" Ash called over to him, "You'll have to teach me more about that Butterfree of yours sometime!"

Samurai stopped him in his tracks, making the two trainers and Braixen flinch.

"That's a secret you don't wanna find out, Ash" Samurai replied menacingly without turning around.

With that, Samurai picked up the remainder of his blade and disappeared into the forest.

Ash, Serena and Braixen stood frozen in place for a few moments before Ash dared to break the silence by tentatively beginning to walk over to his unconscious Pikachu and placed him on his hat.

"C'mon!" Ash finally said, "Let's head to Pewter like he said!"

Serena let out a long sigh and returned Braixen to her Pokeball. Of course Ash would bounce from something like that so easily. She decided to simply accept it and attempt to catch up to her boyfriend on her unsteady legs. The two resumed chatting about what they would do next and disappeared into the underbrush.

* * *

Samurai looked out from behind a tree to watch as the two trainers walked back into the forest to continue their journey. Sweat began pouring from his brow as he released his Butterfree which looked completely terrified.

"They fell for it," He celebrated, "It worked!"

His Butterfree looked ecstatic and relieved as it let out a long sigh and plopped itself on the ground. He had nearly passed out during that encounter with that Braixen. He had seen from his Pokeball how easily it took out his master's other Pokemon with such ease once it actually tried, so when he heard its trainer say they were going to take the next fight completely seriously, it nearly passed out. It was lucky that its scar from a fight with an Ursaring made it look so intimidating, otherwise that Braixen would have surely taken it out in one shot and he'd become a laughingstock! A Pokemon that went through hell? That surpasses the Legends themselves?! What a joke. Both he and his trainer let out a loud sigh in unison at their own hopelessness.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash and Serena had finally made their way to the end of the labyrinth-like forest to find they were looking directly over Pewter City where Serena's first Gym Badge was waiting for her. Serena stood on a large rock that helped her gain a good look at the city below.

"Off my merchandise," A voice from below ordered, making Serena jump backwards in surprise.

"Merchandise?" She asked.

She looked down to find there was indeed a small price tag on the rock she had just been standing on. Ash simply hopped over the rock and down in front of the owner of the voice while Serena slowly made her way down a nearby slope and climbed down to meet them. Sitting in front of a large rack of different sized rocks, each with price tags depending on how large the rock was, sat an old man with a red beanie covering his eyes.

"Uh, sir," Started Serena, "Why are you selling rocks of all things? ...By the entrance to a forest…? I don't think you'd find any customers in this field of work."

"Watch it," The old man hissed, making Serena flinch, "Pewter City is the Town of Stone. We relish our rocks here more than anything, which is why the Gym here is based around Rock Types. I bet you young'uns didn't even know that b'fore comin' here. It's a miracle you lot even made it outta that forest."

 _Oh, you have no idea,_ Serena thought to herself.

"You're Brock's dad, right?" Ash asked, completely ignoring the old man's insults, "Uhh, ...Flint, right? You helped me beat Brock back in the day with my Pikachu."

He pointed to the unconscious yellow mouse on his head. Flint scratched his beard in deep thought before shrugging.

"Doesn't ring a bell."

Ash fell over in disbelief.

"What?! You set up this whole little machine for me so that I could pump electricity into Pikachu's cheeks! I'm the reason why you're the Gym Leader in the first place since Brock came with me after our battle!"

Flint shrugged, "Never had a good memory. Anyways, you two here to challenge me?"

Ash facepalmed, "I just said I already beat the...nevermind. No, just her. I've already got the badge."

"Really," Flint inquired challengingly, "So, where is your badge then?"

Ash smirked and fumbled around through his vest. He grinned at Flint and pulled out Viola's Bug Badge, holding it up in the air for all to see."

"Ash," Serena started, "I don't think the Kalos Badges work over here."

Ash immediately pulled down the badge and, to his horror, it was indeed the badge he had gotten after defeating Kalos's Bug-Type Gym Leader.

"Aw no!" Ash cried out, "I didn't get to switch out my badges because of my fight with Gary!"

The young trainer pouted and put his Bug Badge next to the others, which didn't go unnoticed by Flint. He tucked the badge case away dejectedly and frowned as he turned back to the old Gym Leader.

"Nevermind, I guess I _will_ be challenging you as well."

He shrugged, "Ah well, I guess this'll be good training for the League then."

"I see," Flint said as he continuously scratched his beard, "Well, I suppose I'll direct you to the Pokemon Center then. You look like you'll need the rest before challenging me."

Serena nodded, "That would be appreciated, sir."

The trio began to make their way down the slope towards Pewter City. Ash was thinking to himself. He had expected his visit to Pallet Town to be a couple days, not half an hour. He just realized he hadn't even gotten to see his other Pokemon, the Professor, and...his mother. Oh, Arceus, his mother. Ash winced at the thought of his mother's reaction once he'd finally called her. Oh, the fit that would happen… Ash was snapped out of his thoughts as he bumped into Flint once he had stopped.

"Here we are," Announced Flint, "Now, you two be sure to rest up before challengin' me, okay?"

"Will do!" Serena chirped.

As the couple entered the Pokemon Center, Serena could see Ash noticeably nervous. He was sweating profusely, and was shifting uncomfortably. He kept twiddling his fingers and shifting to look at the videophone hinged on the wall nearby.

"...You okay there?" Serena asked with a hint of tease.

Ash placed Pikachu in her arms and gave her his belt of Pokemon.

"I'm sorry, but uh...can you take care of this for me? I need to"

Ash paused.

"... _Remedy_ something."

"Sure thing, but," Serena raised an eyebrow, "...What is it?"

Ash's eyes darkened, "A disaster far worse than Team Flare…"

With that, Ash headed to the phone, looking as if he were heading into a warzone. Serena gave him an odd look but simply shrugged and turned back to the counter. She rang the bell that was placed there and soon enough, one of the many Nurse Joy's appeared out from behind a curtain with a smile on her face. Serena handed her and Ash's Pokeballs over and the two began to chat happily while the Nurse was handing off the balls to a Chansey on hand, when a roar from the depths of hell suddenly forced everyone in the room to the ground in sheer agony.

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAASSSSHHHHHH!**_ "

"Good to see you too, mom…" Ash said, wincing.

On the opposite side of the phoneline, Delia Ketchum sat fuming at her son. First, he gets home and doesn't even call her. Then, one of his Pokemon fought a giant flock of angry Spearow on it's own and _torches a forest_ , AND THEN HE-

"Ash, what was that?!" Serena demanded, holding her ringing ears.

"Ash, this is Serena, right?" Delia demanded.

Ash paled.

 _Oh no_ , he cursed internally.

"Ah, you must be Ash's mother, right?" Serena asked cluelessly, "I'm Ash's girlfriend now. It's nice to see you again."

 _OH NO…!_

Delia blinked, "...You're Ash's _WHAT?!_ "

 _OOOOH_ _ **NOOOOOOO!**_

* * *

 _ **Hall of Origins**_

It was unusual for Arceus to call multiple meetings in such a short span of time, to say the least. So, when they were summoned to the Hall so soon, many questions were being raised and the chatter from the smaller Legends was filling the room even more than normally. Giratina was waiting impatiently as always, his growls reverberating throughout the room as Arceus readied himself. Finally, the big mon himself finally showed himself, with Deoxys at his side oddly enough. Most of the Legends raised, or at least mentally raised, their eyebrows or lack thereof at this but dared not speak of it.

" _ **MIGHT I HAVE THINE ATTENTION?**_ "

With those familiar words, the Hall returned to its silence. After scanning the Hall to make sure everyone was in their respective seatings, Arceus continued.

" _ **DEOXYS HAS FINALLY REVEALED TO ME OF HIS ORIGINS.**_ "

" _ **AND?**_ " Giratina demanded, " _ **DEOXYS HAS BEEN AROUND LONG ENOUGH THAT I'M SURE MOST OF US NO LONGER CARE OF HIS ORIGINS.**_ "

"I'm curious about it…" Mew countered, making Giratina scowl at her to which she simply smiled childishly back at him.

Arceus raised his front hoof to restore silence.

" _ **DEOXYS HAS INFORMED ME OF A CREATURE WHO CALLS HIMSELF NECROZMA. HE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE COMPLETE AND UTTER ANNIHILATION OF DEOXYS'S ENTIRE RACE. DEOXYS HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO FLEE IN THE RUBBLE OF HIS VERY PLANET'S REMAINS TO ESCAPE FROM THE MONSTER'S WRATH.**_ "

" _ **And that's when we fought once he arrived,"**_ Rayquaza surmised.

" _ **AND THAT IS NO FAULT OF YOURS,**_ " Arceus said kindly, " _ **FOR YOU WERE ONLY DOING YOUR JOB.**_ "

" _ **I wasn't apologizing," Replied Rayquaza**_

Giratina cruelly chuckled, " _ **HE FLED?**_ "

Arceus stamped his foot down threateningly and glared in Giratina's direction. " _ **THAT WILL BE ALL FROM YOU, GIRATINA.**_ "

Giratina scowled, but obeyed. Mew snickered, earning a glare that could kill.

" _No,"_ Deoxys interjected, " _Giratina is right. I was a coward for fleeing. A coward and a fool. Because I fled, Necrozma is on his way here at this very moment to correct his mistake of letting me live."_

A series of gasps erupted from the smaller Legends. Most of the larger ones simply gave Deoxys a cruel or judging look, making him hang his head in shame. Arceus stamped his hoof once more, bringing the Legend's attention back to himself.

" _ **BACK TO THE MATTER AT HAND, NECROZMA IS ON HIS WAY HERE AS WE SPEAK AND WE NEED TO BE ON EXTRA HIGH ALERT. FROM WHAT DEOXYS HAS TOLD ME, NECROZMA'S BODY IS ALMOST ENTIRELY PITCH BLACK. THE ONLY PART OF HIM THAT WOULD BE VISIBLE IN THE DARK ARE TWO GLOWING, PROTRUDING CRYSTALS FROM HIS ARMS."**_

The Alpha Pokemon turned his attention to Rayquaza, earning the Sky Lord's full attention.

" _ **RAYQUAZA, YOU ARE OUR FIRST DEFENSE AGAINST NECROZMA. IF HE IS TO ENTER OUR PLANET, HE WILL HAVE TO GO THROUGH YOU. I NEED YOU TO PATROL THE OZONE AT ALL TIMES. BE INCREDIBLY ALERT ALWAYS."**_

" _ **So, do what I've been doing for the past forever,"**_ Rayquaza replied snidely, " _ **Got it**_."

Ignoring Rayquaza's tone, he turned towards his two sons, Palkia and Dialga.

" _ **WE CURRENTLY DO NOT KNOW NECROZMA'S WHEREABOUTS. I NEED YOU TWO TO**_ -"

" _ **SERIOUSLY?**_ " Giratina interrupted, " _ **SOME BIG BADDIE KILLS A BUNCH OF DEOXYS'S AND YOU ALL START TO LOSE YOUR WITS? PLEASE, ANYBODY COULD DO SOMETHING AS TRIVIAL AS THAT.**_ "

Deoxys clenched his tendrils into fists, using all his willpower not to embarrass himself by retaliating.

" _ **GIRATINA!**_ " Arceus bellowed, " _ **DO YOU NOT HAVE A SHRIVEL OF COMPASSION IN THAT HORRIFIC EXCUSE OF A BODY OF YOURS?!**_ "

" _ **BEING ALONE IN BANISHMENT FOR LONGER THAN YOU CAN FATHOM DOES THAT TO SOMEBODY…**_ " Giratina hissed.

"Aww," Mew cooed tauntingly, "Somebody's gwuuumpyyy."

"... _ **THAT'S IT**_ …"

Giratina directed a piercing glare that would have frozen just about anyone else in Mew's direction.

" _ **I WILL NOT ALLOW MYSELF TO BE RIDICULED BY YOU ANY LONGER, MEW! YOU CANNOT FATHOM MY TORMENT AT BEING TRAPPED IN A WORLD WHERE MY VERY EXISTENCE TWISTS, WARPS, AND DESTROYS REALITY! I DO NOT CARE OF YOUR STATUS ABOVE ME ANY LONGER! I WILL NOT TOLERATE THESE INSULTS FURTHER, YOU SPOILED BRAT!**_ "

Everyone in the room, including Arceus himself, dared not speak after that display. The only sound left was the panting of Giratina after his little tantrum. Mew gave him a blank, unreadable stare that greatly unsettled him and the others in the hall. A great pressure befell the room, making some of the larger Legends deeply uncomfortable while the smaller Legends were backing away into various corners to escape the choking sensation. Giratina himself found his breath stripped away, and was nearly forced to the ground due to the sheer pressure directed at him.

" _ **DO NOT COME TO ME LOOKING FOR PITY**_ ," Mew said cruelly, " _ **FOR YOU WILL FIND NONE IN ME. YOUR BANISHMENT IS THE RESULT OF YOUR OWN LUST FOR POWER. YOUR TORMENT IS YOUR OWN FAULT AND YOU HAVE NO ONE TO BLAME BUT YOURSELF. EVEN NOW, YOUR ATTITUDE IS ONLY SUCCEEDING DEEPENING YOUR TORMENT AND BANISHMENT.**_ "

Mew stared deep into Giratina's eyes darkly. This was the second time he had ever felt fear.

" _ **AND DON'T COMPARE US IN RANK, FOR YOUR RANK MEANS NOTHING NOW. YOUR RANK IS LESS THAN DIRT, WORM.**_ "

With that, the unsettling pressure disappeared, along with Mew's brutal exterior. The smaller Legends began inching their way back to their seats, but Giratina dared not move an inch even though The Pokemon Queen was back to smiling like an excited child.

" _ **...GIRATINA**_ ," Arceus started, " _ **YOU ARE DISMISSED. I'M SURE YOU AGREE THAT IT WOULD BE BETTER IF YOU LEFT FOR NOW.**_ "

The Renegade Pokemon needed no further incentive and summoned a dark portal, never happier to face his banishment.

" _ **AS FOR THE REST OF YOU, RETURN TO YOUR NORMAL BUSINESS AND BE SURE TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR NECROZMA. NOTIFY ANY NEARBY LEGENDS AND HAVE SOMEONE REPORT TO ME IF YOU SEE HIM. DO NOT ENGAGE WITHOUT BACKUP. DISMISSED."**_

The remaining Legends eagerly obeyed and returned to their respective domains after seeing their Queen's true exterior.

* * *

AN TIME

Creator - I feel each one of these is better than the last, don't you agree? Though I don't think that's setting a very high bar. ...Crap, just realized I forgot to explain what Firestorm is! X( It'll happen, I swear!

Hydra- I am having so much fun writing this story, I cant wait to get further. Do not worry about having to wait for long updates we have already started working on the next chapter by the time this is uploaded.

Creator - Anyways, on to the reviews!

 **TeamPiperM**

"Wow, Diantha. You bailed Alain out, but not Malva? They both tried to help! Dick move."

Creator - Malva did way more damage than Alain did. Alain never wanted to be with Flare to begin with, but Malva helped Lysandre until just before the end.

 **thor94**

"look interesting and touching.

poor ash always his fate to lose his powerful pokemon. For ash his pokemon come first, but look for ash pokemon beside pikachu, their trainer come second at best and there is always something more important than him (mate, power, pokemon friends, personal job, etc).

Also ask how serena could be in palet town and especially before ash when she was in a plane for hoenn?"

Creator - 1. Thanks! 2. Ash's curse :C. 3. I left that part to the imagination. Maybe I needed to explain it more :/. Anyways, I wanted you guys to figure out that Serena changed her mind at the last second...probably should've done a better job...

 **Amourshippingfan**

"I liked seeing ash and Gary battle again and how schooked Gary was when he found out ash and seran are dating and I am glad the Pokémon are okay and I am surprised serana wants to try out the kanto league"

Creator - Dunno who Seran is, but I'm glad you like our story! (I know you meant Serena lol)

 **TheOGPokemonMaster**

"1) Serena ex Machina

2) Pidgeot ex Machina

3) "I REFUSE TO PAY THEE RENT"

"THOU HAST LANDETH ON MY PROPERTY"

"I AM GOD"

4)"YOUR CHANCE CARD DECREES THAT THEE GOETH DIRECTLY TO JAIL"

"I WILL ERASETH THEE FROM EXISTENCE"

"...YOUR CHANCE CARD DECREES THAT YOU HAVE WON THE LOTTERY"

5) Keep up the awesome work mate!

Creator - 1) Plot convenience lol

2) Plot convenience lol

3) Ah, Monopoly jokes

4) "THINE CHANCE CARD CAN SHOVEST THEE UP THINES OWN RECTUM!"

5) Only if you do ;)

Hydra- hi little side message to all you wonderful reviewers. I just wanted to tell you the reason I have yet to respond to any reviews is because I am still getting used to figuring out how to respond if that makes any sense, I am new to writing fanfics and I don't really know how to answer certain reviews, but don't worry I will eventually get the hang of it and try to answer each one of your reviews.

Creator - That's all, folks! Be sure to Review, and we'll... _I'll_ be sure to respond to it! I love seeing Reviews, no matter what they say, so please Review!


	4. Chapter 4: Descent

The cloudy night sky was pitch black. The seas below followed suit. Three islands protruding from the vast ocean depths sat still, as if sleeping. The sea winds were almost nonexistant on this silent sea night...until, something could be barely seen in the dark clouds. An even darker small spot that was constantly moving in the clouds; hardly noticeable. Though, the winds began to pick up ever so slightly and the waves began to rock, as if the world itself was wary of the new figure. Their worry seemed to not be without warrant, as the near invisible figure suddenly rocketed from the clouds and collided into one of the islands like an asteroid. The wind began screaming and raging, while the ocean below was thrashing violently in response to this collision. Debris rained from the skies as chunks of what was once an island decorated the surrounding ocean floor.

A screech reverberated through the night sky as a bright yellow figure rocketed out of the ocean to gaze upon what was once its home. An enraged cry pierced the skies at the figure, the Legendary Bird, Zapdos, mourned its home. It furiously scanned the sea below, which had now completely overtaken the remainder of Zapdos's nest, for whatever dared mess with the powerful creature. As suddenly as it arrived, the near invisible creature suddenly appeared directly in front of Zapdos, making it squack in surprise and back itself away from the creature. Yet, the endeavor proved fruitless as the creature again reappeared directly in front of the Legendary Bird in just an instant. Zapdos took this act as a threat and unleashed a massive shockwave in all directions that enveloped the mysterious being, but the creature simply floated in place as if it felt nothing while being assaulted by millions upon millions of jolts of electricity. Zapdos could have sworn the creature smirked despite not having a visible face.

Suddenly, the barely visible creature disappeared from sight and Zapdos was hurtled at speeds faster than its eyes could calculate into the ocean depths. It bounced roughly on what it assumed to be its remainder of its home like the water did nothing to slow its descent. It burst from the dark, swarming waters and raced to meet its assailant only to be met with a blank sky. No, wait, a faint glint could be seen directly above itself. Zapdos raced upwards, preparing a Drill Peck only for the creature to disappear once more. The Bird of Thunder could see something white in its peripheral vision and whipped around to see it, only for the white light to remain in its peripheral vision. He continuously and frantically began searching in every direction, the glint staying just out of sight each time. Zapdos could have sworn he heard a dark, almost mechanical chuckle. Zapdos, enraged, opted to unleash a Discharge attack in every direction, lighting up the night sky for a brief moment. Though, the Thunder Bird still could not catch a glimpse of its attacker. Zapdos soon found itself spiraling across the nearby sea, slowly dipping down until it finally collided with the water, kicking up a massive splash of water.

" _ **Is THAT your best?!"**_ The creature demanded.

Zapdos erupted violently from the ocean in a massive storm of electricity with an ear-shattering screech of rage. It fired a colossal Discharge in every direction, ripping the waves apart below and tearing into the skies above. The bolts that actually collided with the near-invisible creature were simply blown apart upon contact and the light created by the electricity looked as if it were being _absorbed_ by it, making it still nearly invisibly to Zapdos. What little could actually be seen of the creature disappeared from view once more, but opted for a frontal attack this time. It grabbed Zapdos by the beak and dragged it skyward into the clouds above, chuckling darkly yet again. Zapdos attempted to free itself by summoning large sums of electricity from the surrounding clouds and releasing it fully into its captor. Even still, the lightning did not affect it in the slightest, nor did the light from the electricity even remotely reveal its appearance somehow. The only thing Zapdos could see were those two glinting...crystals? It'd have to remember that for later. Though the Electric Pokemon had no chance to further think upon this as it was hurled forcefully out above the storm below. The full moon could be seen behind the two dueling Pokemon in the night sky. Zapdos couldn't even come close to stopping itself at the sheer speed it was hurled at. Out of nowhere, the invisible assailant appeared from above Zapdos and its form could finally be seen, at least more than before, in the midst of the moon's luminescence. It raised a bulky, pitch black fist before rocketing downwards, catching Zapdos in a brutal clothesline. The sheer power of the hit was enough to split the clouds below in a large Thunder Bird found itself completely immobile and barely conscious as it was trapped on the creature's arm and rocketing hundreds of miles downwards in mere seconds. The very ocean itself parted to match the opening in the clouds as the creature rammed Zapdos into the rocky ocean floor, sending a cataclysmic shockwave across the nearby ocean and uprooting the two remaining islands. The ocean itself could now hardly be called an ocean, as the water itself seemed to be nowhere in sight. It had all been blown back so far that Zapdos, who was currently repeatedly using Roost in an attempt to keep itself alive, could not see any water in sight. Though that might be because it was embedded in a two-hundred meter deep crater. Just what _WAS_ this monster?! The familiar cries of its frenemies, Articuno and Moltres, snapped Zapdos out of its trance. They were going to get themselves killed against that thing...that is, unless _it_ were there to help. With a loud screech, it released a flurry of electrical bolts that destroyed the rock it was embedded in and ran to join its...partners, it guessed.

The creature found himself surrounded by three of these birds now, and they all looked ready to tear him to pieces. He internally smirked eagerly. He would enjoy turning those looks into pure hopelessness and fear as he slowly tore them to pieces. He bellowed out a dark, deep, echoing laugh that chilled the Legendary Birds to their cores.

" _ **Heh, heh, heh, heh. HAH HAH HAH HAH! Worthless SCUM...I'LL CRUSH YOU!**_ "

The dark creature continued to laugh like a maniac as his opponents...no...as his _playthings_ desperately fired their respective lightning, fire, and ice attacks at him in an attempt to actually do something to this demon.

* * *

"You're his _WHAT?!_ " Delia demanded.

Ash looked as if he was facing a demon right now...then again, he probably was…

"Oh!" Serena caught herself, "You...probably weren't meant to hear that yet…"

" _MMM-HMM_ ," Ash grated.

"Why didn't you tell me this, Ash?! Having a girlfriend is a huge responsibility, you know!"

"You make it sound like he's keeping a pet…," Serena deadpanned.

Despite his massive embarrassment at his mother's hands, Ash could at least take solace in the fact that his mother was no longer yelling at him...in fact, she seemed to have completely turned the conversation to Serena.

"So, do you have any plans for a wedding? A house? Motherhood?"

Serena's blushing head was spinning as Delia bombarded her with overly personal questions, writing down notes as she did. Ash took it upon himself to end both his and Serena's suffering.

"O-kay, mom, that's enough. Those are questions for later, okay?"

Ash's mother pouted, but complied and put her little notebook of horrors away for now.

"Fine, Ashy, but I don't want you two-"

" _We get it_ ," Serena and Ash said unanimously.

"Just making sure, dears!" Delia chirped.

Ash sighed, "Just wanted to catch up with ya, mom."

Delia waved, "Bye, dears! And remember, like I said before, you're always welcome to stop by!"

With that, the screen shut black and the two embarassed trainers let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Glad that's over," Serena whined, "I can see why you're hesitant to call her sometimes."

"It's just her way of showing she cares," Ash replied.

"You're right. I guess worrying is what mothers do."

Ash began dialing another number on the videophone hinged on the wall. Soon enough, an elderly man in a white labcoat appeared on screen.

"Ah, hello Ash!" The old man greeted, "How goes it for you?"

"It's going pretty good, professor. I called because I have an empty space on my team and I'd like to fill that."

The professor scratched his chin, "About that, Ash. Do you think you could send over that Talonflame of yours? Never in all my years as a Pokemon Professor have I seen anything short of a Legendary Pokemon unleash that much power in an attack. I have a colleague named Professor Kukui who specializes in Pokemon attacks. I'm hoping that if anyone can figure out just what your Talonflame did, it's him."

Ash nodded, "That makes sense. Just don't push her too hard, okay? She's supposed to be resting for now."

Professor Oak smiled brightly, 'i don't think there's a need for worry there, Ash. Professor Kukui lives in Alola, so it's incredibly likely that Talonflame will spend most of her time as if she were on a vacation."

"That's a relief," Ash conceded, "Sure, I'll send her over once the Nurse is done looking at her."

Serena took it upon herself to retrieve the fire bird from Nurse Joy and began inching towards the front desk where she whispered something to the nurse. Nurse Joy nodded with a smile and handed back the Pokeball to Serena, who began walking back over to Ash after thanking the nurse. She tapped him on the shoulder and held out Talonflame's Pokeball to the boy, earning a bright smile and a thanks. The young trainer took it upon himself to put the ball into the Poke-Transfer machine attatched to the videophone, making small, white electrical volts disassemble the ball and its inhabitants and reassemble them in Professor Oak's lab. To prove this, the professor held up Talonflame's ball in his hands with an appreciative smile.

"Thank you, Ash! I'll make sure Kukui gets her as soon as possible. Now, you had two spaces that need filling, right?"

Ash nodded, "That's right, professor."

Ash hummed to himself. Who to pick...on one hand, he wanted everyone to get a chance, but on the other hand, he wanted to make sure his best six were trained and ready so that he'd win the League for sure...eh, they've all had their chances. If he's gonna be erasing past records, he's gonna have to be at his best. They wouldn't mind, right? He'd give most of em a chance at the League when it comes.

"I'll take…"

Charizard was at the Charicific Valley, so he's out of the question for now. He guessed his runner up for a fire type would be Infernape, and Sceptile was a no-brainer after that.

"I'll take Infernape and Sceptile, and I'll keep the rest of my Kalos Team on me for now. Can you tell the others to train as hard as they can? I wanna diversify my team once the League arrives, and I'd feel bad if my other Pokemon were left behind."

Professor Oak nodded approvingly, "Wise choices, Ash. I'd say those two are definitely among your strongest, and yes, I'll pass the message along, but Bayleef and Muk won't be happy when they find out. They've been wanting to journey with you again for ages!"

Ash smiled, "They'll get their chance during the League."

Professor Oak sighed, "I suppose you're right, but for my sake, please hurry and beat the League. Arceus knows they'll be tackling me the entire time until you finally pick them."

Ash laughed, "Hang in there, Professor."

Oak shook his head and called over to someone outside of the camera's range, "Tracey, please fetch me Infernape and Sceptile's Pokeballs!"

"Yes, Professor!" A voice eagerly called back.

"Remember, Ash," Oak said with a pained smile, "Be sure to beat the League before my poor old back finally gives out."

Ash smirked, "We'll see."

The Professor laughed heartily and Tracey's footsteps could be heard.

"Here ya go, Professor," Tracey offered. He then saw Ash and waved ecstatically, "Hey, it's you, Ash! Shoulda known you were what these were for."

Ash grinned, "Heya, Tracey. How's your sketching going?"

Tracey's eyes opened like dinner plates, "Aw, no! I just realized I left my Scyther holding up all my art supplies! See ya around, Ash!"

"See ya, Tracey!" Ash called to him.

Ash's attention was caught by Serena, who had taken the liberty of taking Infernape's and Sceptile's Pokeballs from the Transfer Machine.

"Thanks, Serena!" He said appreciatively, to which she simply nodded with a bright smile.

"You got them?" The Professor asked.

Ash showed him the two Pokeballs in his hands to answer his question.

"Good. Take care of yourself out there, Ash!"

"You too, Professor!"

"Oh, wait a minute!" The professor cried suddenly, "Gary called me earlier!"

The professor's face hardened and he closes his eyes, "He told me about that whole fiasco with Umbreon."

Ash frowned at hearing that, looking down in shame, "I didn't mean to-"

The professor held up a hand to silence the young trainer, "Gary doesn't blame you, and neither do I."

"Even still-"

"Which is exactly why we don't blame you. Your love for Pokemon holds true. Don't beat yourself up over it too hard. I know you're a good kid with a good heart."

With that, the Professor waved goodbye and the computer screen went black.

"That's Professor Oak, right?" Serena asked, "From what I've heard, he's pretty imposing, but I'm glad to see those were just rumors."

Ash raised an eyebrow, "Imposing? Naw, the guy's just a fun goofball most of the time.

Serena giggled, "I'm glad there's more than meets the eye with him, then."

When they turned around, they were glad to see the majority of the trainers from earlier had fled to escape the horror that is Ash's mother's screams. They'd expected to have the entire Pokemon Center be filled to the brim with stares directed their way, but found only three or four remaining trainers who were all occupied with their own business. They began to walk towards a bench to wait for their Pokemon when Nurse Joy's voice appeared over the intercom.

"Serena, your Pokemon are ready for departure."

"That was quick," Commented Ash.

With that, the two walked over to the front desk once more to find Ash's belt of four, and Pikachu who eagerly hopped on top of Ash's shoulder, and Serena's of ...two?

"Umm, Nurse Joy?" Serena called, "Where's my Braixen?"

"Oh, right," The nurse complied, fumbling out from behind the infirmary station, "Braixen will need additional rest."

Serena gasped, "Why, is there something wrong with her?!"

Nurse Joy giggled and shook her head, "No, she just needs to take it easy for the rest of the day. You brought her back in a pretty rough condition."

Serena turned pink and looked down, "R-right…"

Ash chuckled at this display and wrapped an arm around Serena.

"Thanks, Nurse Joy!" Ash said, pulling Serena towards the entrance of the Pokemon Center, "Serena, let's go get that Gym Badge, eh?"

"Uhh," Serena protested as they exited the Pokemon Center, "Can I really beat this Gym with only two Pokemon?"

"Sure!" Ash replied loudly, making Serena flinch, "I did it back in the day with just Pikachu, right buddy?"

"Cha!" Pikachu replied, pumping a fist in the air.

"Well, if you say so." Serena conceded.

Ash ruffled her hair playfully, "C'mon, you got this. I know you can do this."

* * *

Ash and Serena gazed upon their destination as it popped into view. The Pewter City Gym: home to the Boulderbadge. The grey building didn't look too intimidating; it looked sort of like an average house, save for its base being covered with the boulders its Gym was known for. Ash took this time to release his full team to get a good look at them, earning a series of eager cries from them. Infernape whooped happily as he saw his trainer and friend once more and offered his fist to bump, to which Ash happily obliged with a smirk. Speaking of smirking, the grass lizard Sceptile did just that as he was released from his Pokeball and crossed his arms. Hawlucha was released next, jumping out of his Pokeball and posing wildly upon landing, flexing flauntingly all the while. He turned to Ash, giving a thumbs up. Ash chuckled and gave him one back. Next, Ash released Noivern, a purple bat-like wyvern, who chirped happily at Ash and perched itself next to Hawlucha. Finally, Ash released one of his strongest Pokemon, the pinkish-white Dragon Goodra who happily bounded over to Ash and enveloped him in a messy hug. Ash giggled at this familiar display and returned the hug before patting the Pseudo-Legendary on the back to tell her gently to release him, to which she obliged and stepped back. He shook himself dry and ushered Pikachu to join his comrades, who happily nodded and hopped over to them, initiating a conversation and soon enough, the group was happily chattering back and forth. Even Sceptile eventually joined in. Ash and Serena grinned at seeing the Pokemon immediately get along.

Ash clapped his hands to gain their attention, "Everyone from my Kalos team, these two are Infernape and Sceptile. They'll be with us for this next journey. You all know how Greninja left us, but Talonflame had to leave too."

The trio from Kalos began to chatter to themselves again, talking about this sudden new revelation while Infernape and Sceptile simply stayed silent due to their lack of understanding of the situation.

Ash continued, "Recently, Talonflame unlocked some new, devastating attack that nearly destroyed an entire forest. Right now, she is currently being studied in the Alola region by a man named Professor Kukui in an attempt to figure out just what that was and how to control it."

He turned to his personal champions from Hoenn and Sinnoh. "As for you two, these are my newest Pokemon that accompanied me through the Kalos region. With their help, I managed to make it to the Finals Round in the Kalos League."

The Kalos trio beamed with pride. Sceptile frowned at them while Infernape simply grinned, eager for some new training partners.

"You three," Ash continued, "These two were arguably my strongest Pokemon I used in the Hoenn and Sinnoh Leagues. With them at my side, I fought my way into the Semifinals of the Sinnoh League where I fought my strongest opponent yet. His name was Tobias, and he had the Legends themselves under his command. Though Sceptile here managed to strike down Tobias's previously undefeated Darkrai, and Pikachu fought Tobias's Latios to a standstill, though we ended up losing in the end. And that's only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to his achievements."

Sceptile smirked and placed a nearby twig he found in his mouth while the Kalos trio gaped at him. It wasn't often a Pokemon could defeat a _Legendary_ , though they weren't as surprised to hear Pikachu achieved the same thing. When Infernape stared at Ash expectantly, he laughed and continued.

"Right," Ash began, "What would I have done without Infernape here? Without him, I might not have ever beaten my most brutal rival yet. My rival in Sinnoh was named Paul, and he was a complete tool to say the least."

Ash scowled, "He straight up _abused_ his Pokemon. Hey deemed them worthless if they didn't meet his criteria, which mainly consisted of fighting the rest of his team for hours on end by themselves. Infernape here is the result of his _training._ "

"That's horrible!" Serena pitched in.

Infernape growled angrily at the memory of his former trainer, his flames on his head savagely cracking. The Kalos Trio looked at him with pity, Goodra barely resisting the urge to give him a sloppy hug then and there.

"But," Ash went on, "After Paul abandoned Infernape for his supposed weakness, I took him in and he became a steadfast member of my team, isn't that right, bud?"

Infernape snapped out of his anger due to his true trainer's kindness and gave him a smirk and a nod.

Ash chuckled, remembering the days past with a grin, "After that, we continued training. My way. And that way proved to be better than Paul's, as that frail little Chimchar that belonged to Paul grew stronger and more confident, evolving into Monferno to fight Paul's Electabuzz...but it still wasn't enough."

* * *

 _Ash's Monferno was raging, his Blaze ability clouding his thoughts. All it could think about…no, he couldn't even do that. He felt so much fury, and he didn't know why. Off to the side, he could see a yellow Pokemon just barely holding up a collapsing robot from crashing with a Protect. The robot itself had three Pokemon trapped inside. He wanted to go save them, but his muscles wouldn't respond. All he could do was scream out in fury._

" _Monferno, remember?" A familiar voice cried out to him. He could feel them holding onto him tightly, and he didn't like it. He screamed in fury, berserking flames decorating his back and enveloping the two._

" _Remember our promise?!" The voice called out again, "The promise we made to each other?! The promise to get stronger together?!"_

 _He screamed once more, creating a Flame Wheel around himself and the voice. Despite this, the voice kept speaking._

" _Monferno, listen! You can't let Blaze take you over! You've gotta get that power under control, and we'll both get stronger! Like we promised!"_

 _The Pokemon's barrier that was holding up the robot began cracking from continuous use of a move that's only meant to last for a short time. Monferno screamed once more and managed to regain control of his limbs once more. It darted towards the robot using the last of his willpower and struck its underside with a superpowered Flame Wheel, but even that wasn't enough. The robot's weight proved too much for Monferno to handle, and it began to collapse once more. Monferno let out one last bellow before his entire body began to turn white. The flames around him dispersed to reveal that it had changed form. Its flames were no longer on its tail, but on its head instead, and it looked as if it was wearing white armor._

" _INFERNAPE!" The new Pokemon bellowed, holding up the robot with ease. He smirked at the Pokemon that had once been holding up the robot, which he now identified as his personal rival, Paul's Electabuzz. Now_ he _finally had the upper hand._

" _Alright, now help 'em out of that cage!" The voice, whom Infernape now recognized as Ash, ordered._

 _Infernape obliged and began to pump itself up before gathering the strength to hurl the giant robot skyward._

" _Now, use Mach Punch!" Ash told his friend once more._

 _The fiery monkey jumped up at a blinding speed, its fist glowing white in the process. He struck the bars holding the three Pokemon captive, whom he now identified as Ash's Pikachu, Dawn's Piplup, and the Pokemon who he'd been battling with earlier, Barry's Empoleon. Speaking of Empoleon, it took this opportunity to take the two other trapped Pokemon into its massive wings and hop out of the cage it was once held by. Once the two had landed, the robot crashing down behind them, Empoleon released the electric mouse and its own pre-evolution onto the safe ground and the trio all thanked their savior._

" _All right!" Cheered Ash, "You evolved into Infernape!"_

 _Infernape grinned proudly and gave his trainer and friend a thumbs up._

* * *

Infernape and Ash both gave each other another thumbs up to commemorate the memory.

"That's amazing!" Serena commented.

The other Pokemon in their midst all nodded in agreement and awe, a newfound respect for their new teammates being felt.

"That being said, our final fight with Paul wasn't easy even after that." Ash recalled, "Both of us were down to our last team members; those ironically being my Infernape and his Electabuzz, now evolved into Electivire, respectively. I thought Infernape was down for the count when Blaze finally kicked back in. And this time, Infernape wasn't about to let it take over again. In full control, Infernape fought with the last of his power against Electivire and ended it by winning in one last struggle between his Flare Blitz and Electivire's Thunder."

"Fernaaape!" Infernape yelled proudly, recalling those moments in which he finally defeated his rival and had shown his previous master that he was far from weak.

Serena stood in awe. She knew Ash was already beyond an amazing trainer, but to think in all his fights she witnessed him doing, he was essentially _holding back?!_ That was incredible. She pondered if her own Braixen could reach that level of power since she, too, had Blaze. Heck, she didn't even need to worry about control, Braixen already had that down.

"Now," Ash rallied, "Think we can work as a team for these upcoming battles? We're not just here to fight this time. This time, we're here to _win_. This time, we'll win the League, right guys!"

Ash's Pokemon all simultaneously pumped their fists and cried in agreement.

"Then let's do this!"

Serena herself had to resist the urge to cheer along as Ash's team marched into the Gym. She had to snap herself out of her daze before running to accompany her boyfriend.

* * *

"So here y' are." Flint stated from across the battlefield as they entered. He was currently sitting casually on top of a large boulder.

"Yeah, and we're here for the Boulderbadge!" Ash challenged, his army behind him letting out battle cries.

Flint hardly reacted, opting for a simple shrug at his opposition's display. He tilted his head to see Serena run into the Gym behind Ash.

"So, yer both 'ere," The Gym Leader noted, "Great, we can get this over with quicker."

"Get this over with?" Ash asked, "Last time I was here, didn't you say something about "Rekindling your spirit for battle" or something?"

Flint shrugged, "Eh, I'm old. I don't remember things like I used to. Anyways, now that yer girl's here, how about we settle this match with a double battle? Gotta git back t' my stand by Viridian Forest anyhow 'fore someone up n' steals my merchandise."

"I don't think that's an issue," Serena deadpanned, "But a double battle sounds fun."

Ash nodded, "Yeah, I think I've only ever done a double battle for a Gym once, and I didn't even have a partner then, so this oughta be fun."

"Glad we're agreed," Flint said simply before lazily tossing two balls onto the field.

The balls opened to reveal a large snake that looked to be comprised of several large boulders and a tortoise with a large, spherical boulder for a body with small arms and legs protruding outward to keep it upright.

" _NIIIIX!_ "

"Gooo-LEM!"

"You wanna chose first?" Ash asked Serena.

"These are Rock-Types," Serena mused, "So, I'll chose a Fighting-Type! Go, Pancham!"

Out from Serena's Pokeball came a tiny panda wearing sunglasses on its forehead. He struck a pose, raising both arms upward and flattening his hands while standing on one leg to look like a martial artist. He stuck his right arm towards his opponents and curled his paw twice speedily, but the larger Rock-Types simply scoffed, unamused and unintimidated.

"Nice choice," Ash complimented. "Now, I guess I'll use a Fighting-Type of my own to match."

Of course, Hawlucha thought to himself, it was only natural Ash would chose him, the great guardian of Route 14's forest. He was readying himself to jump into the ring and strike a pose. He imagined himself leaping valiantly into the ring and beating the Rock-Types into the mere pebbles that they were, standing atop their limp bodies while flexing. He was about to make this dream a reality when he lost his footing and tripped into a faceplant due to hearing his trainer call for their new ally, Infernape.

"Heh, Sorry Hawlucha," Ash apologized with a chuckle, "But Infernape hasn't gotten any action in ages."

Hawlucha sighed indignantly but accepted his trainer's reasonings, picking himself up and sitting down next to his best friend, Noivern.

"Fernape!" Ash's ever loyal Fire-Type bellowed eagerly, jumping into the field and pounding his chest at his two opponents.

"Let's get this started," Flint said, almost sounding bored, "Golem, use Rollout. Onix, toss 'em into the small one."

The tortoise-like Golem curled what little body it had outside of its shell into it and began to roll in place, picking up speed and momentum and its giant companion curled its tail around the rocky tortoise and tossed it at Serena's Pancham.

"Infernape, Mach-Punch it back!" Ordered Ash.

"Pancham, hop on top of Infernape and climb on the Golem!"

Infernape sidestepped in front of Pancham and shot a glowing fist into the rolling Golem, pushing Infernape back as he struggled to halt the stone tortoise's assault. Now that both Infernape and Golem were both sitting still, Pancham took the opportunity to climb up Infernape's left arm and perch itself atop the Golem's motionless body, though the momentum of Onix's throw was causing the two to continuously shake as they struggled for dominance.

"Now," Ash ordered, pumping his fist out, "Go full out!"

"Feeeeeerrrr...NAAAAAPE!"

Infernape unleashed all of his might into pushing back the living boulder and finally managed to send it rocketing back at the Onix from whence it came.

"Now, jump and use Karate Chop!" Serena ordered.

Pancham took the hint and jumped off of the speeding boulder just before it rammed into the rock-snake, throwing its gargantuan head backwards. As for Golem, it ricocheted off of Onix's snout and was thrown into a heap of dirt. Now on its back and helpless, Golem furiously flailed its tiny limbs in an attempt to right itself. Pancham was currently hovering above the colossal Onix as it pulled back its hand and let loose a Karate Chop to its head, making it crash into the ground.

"Nice job, guys!" Ash called to the Pokemon, "You too, Serena."

Serena giggled, "Thanks, Ash. I can see why you do this."

"Quit yer yappin'," Flint spat irritatedly, "I've been runnin' this place since before you lot were born. I'm far from done."

Flint reached into his pocket and took out a small, metal cylinder. He took one look at it before shrugging like usual and tossed over at his collapsed Onix. The metal object clanked as it bounced off of Onix's rocky hide before fading into dust.

Ash and Serena stared at Flint blankly for a few minutes, waiting for something to happen.

"Uh," Serena started, "Sorry, but...what was tha-"

Serena was cut off by Flint's Onix suddenly beginning to glow a bright white color. The two young trainers along with their Pokemon all gaped as the glowing rock-snake stood tall and began shifting before their very eyes. Stalagmite-like protrusions began appearing on some of the rocks of its body, its tail grew sharper and more polygonal, and its head grew to look almost oval-like.

" _LIIIIIIIIIIX!_ " The new Pokemon bellowed, making everyone in the room but Flint cover their ears in pain.

"Augh, what is that?!" Serena cried, pulling out her Pokedex to scan the new creature.

" _Steelix, the Iron Snake Pokemon. Steelix has a body said to be even more durable than diamond. They can increase their density to near undamageable amounts by traveling deep underground and withstanding the heat of underground magma for several days. Some of these Pokemon are said to be able to withstand the heat and pressure of the Earth's core, but this has yet to be confirmed for obvious reasons."_

"A Steelix, huh?" Ash mused.

"Pretty impressive, huh?" Flint boasted, "I found that little doohicky when I was diggin' around fer rocks t' sell. I was gonna sell that thing fer a fortune, but I think it served better here, wouldn't you say?"

"Uh, Flint?" Ash asked.

"What is it , boy?"

"Steelix isn't a Rock-Type." Serena finished for Ash.

"Hah!" Heckled Flint, "You kids these days wouldn't know a thing about Rock-Types! Steelix, use-!"

"No, seriously!" Serena cried, waving her hands wardingly, "Pokedex, tell him!"

" _Steelix is a Steel/Ground-Type_." Serena's Dex said simply.

Flint paused, "...Whatever! Steelix has a heart of stone and so do I! Steelix, Iron-Tail!"

Ash's Infernape hadn't been paying close enough attention to the battle at hand due to the small little break they had, resulting in the fiery ape being unprepared for Steelix's attack and getting batted into the wall.

"Infernape, no!" Ash cried out.

Though his worry seemed to be for naught when his Fire-Type simply pushed itself out of the wall and shook itself off to rid itself of any rubble stuck to itself. He gave Ash his signature thumbs up and grin before turning back to his opponent.

"Ferrr," He taunted.

"All right!" Ash cheered, "Use Flare Blitz!"

Infernape completely coated itself in hot, crackling flames and shot itself directly into Seelix's chest with a shoulder barge which sent the colossal serpent toppling over from the incredibly powerful Supereffective attack. Though, Infernape didn't come out without scars either as he winced in pain from the recoil damage that came with using Flare Blitz.

Serena simply watched the fight above her. Pancham wouldn't last long in the middle of those two. Though, she soon found something else to occupy herself with in the form of Golem, now having righted itself, rolling towards her Pancham.

"Pancham, dodge it!" Serena ordered suddenly.

Pancham, being mesmerized by the fight between the two stronger Pokemon, barely snapped out of its trance just before being flattened and managed to backflip over the rolling tortoise and landing on safe ground. Though, the Golem was persistent and immediately turned back around to attempt to ram its opponent. Pancham held its paws out, trying to block the rolling menace from running him over. It took all Pancham's might to not let itself get blown away by the powerful Rollout attack, but he was just barely able to hold it back.

"Pancham!" Serena called out, "You can do this! Fight back with all you have!"

Pancham growled desperately as he tried to follow his trainer's orders, but soon found himself losing ground, and fast. He began screaming in a mixture of fury, pain, and frustration at himself for being too weak.

"Pancham!" Serena cried desperately, "I believe in you! Fight back!"

Pancham gasped as it was rammed into the wall behind him with the rolling menace pinning him, continuously grinding its body into the tiny panda warrior. Pancham screamed in agony as it was essentially made one with the wall. After what seemed like an eternity of Serena screaming her lungs out to try and get Pancham to save himself, finally Golem relented and allowed Pancham's limp body to hang from inside the wall. The last things Pancham saw before he blacked out were Infernape dominating Steelix in their bout, Serena running towards him, and Golem giving him a look more infuriating than a smirk could ever hope to match: one of sheer disappointment and boredom.

Serena dashed onto the field right past Pancham's opponent and ran to attempt to pry the panda out of the wall with little to no luck. Tears welled in her eyes as she saw her beaten and battered Pokemon completely limp, hanging from its small crater in the wall along with her failed attempts to save her Pokemon from said wall.

"Jeez, just use yer Pokeball!" Flint spat, "Yer only gonna hurt it more, you darned fool!"

Ash growled, "Infernape, Flare Blitz at full power!"

Infernape lunged at the iron serpent, coating itself in the familiar fierce flames and tackling the metallic snake with everything it had due to sensing his trainer's rage on Serena's behalf. Steelix was sent flying backward, crashing into the wall behind Flint.

Ash felt his pant leg being pulled and sharply turned his gaze to see Pikachu giving him a worried look.

"Pika, Pi…"

Ash managed a glare for a few seconds longer before finally giving in and softening his stare, crouching down to scratch his best friend behind the ear and give him an apologetic smile.

"You're right. I shouldn't be letting my anger get the better of me. Thanks, buddy."

"Chaaaa!" Pikachu replied happily.

Ash stood back up and turned his attention to Serena, who was collapsed in despair, now having taken Flint's advice and returned her Pokemon the old-fashioned way. That...reminded him. Ash slapped his head. They could've done that for Umbreon! Pushing aside his own incompetence for the moment, he focused on Serena.

"Serena, are you okay?!"

She didn't reply. She simply sat on spread knees, holding Pancham's ball in her trembling hands.

"Serena!" Ash called over, "Losses happen! It's not a big deal so long as you can bounce back from it!"

Serena gritted her teeth, but remained silent.

"Infernape, can you take this from here?" Ash asked his trusted ally and friend,who gave a thumbs up in response and turned to face Steelix, who had gotten back up, and Golem.

Ash ran over to Serena and stopped behind her as to not accidentally upset her further.

"Serena...being a trainer isn't easy. It never was and never will be, unless you put in the effort."

Ash managed the courage to put a hand on Serena's shoulder.

"Sure, your Pokemon will get hurt. Sure, it'll be agonizing to see them suffer. But they're more than allies."

Ash leaned over to gaze at Serena's teary-eyed face.

"Pokemon are your friends, Serena, you know that. And friends will forgive and forget your mistakes. Friends will understand."

Serena let out yelp as she was hoisted onto her feet.

"C'mon, Serena. People lose. Nobody's perfect. Heck look at me! _I_ lost to this Gym on my first time around, and look at me now!"

Ash put his hands on the girl's shoulders and stared deep into her sparkling eyes.

"That being said, would you like to finish this for me?"

Serena lowered her gaze, "I'd just end up-"

"Don't finish that sentence, Serena. You are an amazing trainer, Serena; way better than I was when I started."

Ash gave her a pat on the back, a little too roughly if you asked Serena, and lightly pushed her to the edge of the battlefield.

"Infernape!" Ash called out to his friend who was currently holding Golem over his head and readying itself to toss it at Steelix but turned around.

"Serena's gonna take over from here, okay?"

To Serena's surprise, Infernape grinned almost giddily and gave his trainer a thumbs up with his free hand.

"You heard the man-key," Ash said, nudging Serena towards the challenger's square, "You got this, Serena."

Flint took off his beanie to dab off some sweat on his brow."Alright, quiet yer yammering and let's finish this. I got a shop to run and mouths to feed."

Serena hesitantly stepped forward, "Alright…"

"Atta girl!" Cheered Ash.

Serena paused, dread setting in at the expecting glances coming from all directions.

"Umm…"

"Don't go gettin' cold feet now, girl," Flint chastised, "If you can't muster confidence, your Pokemon won't either. "

"But I-"

"EXACTLY! If you go makin' excuses, you'll lose the respect of your Pokemon! Not many trainers get a second chance like you got, so don't go wastin' it."

Serena looked down in shame.

"Raise your head, girl," Flint ordered, "That Pancham doesn't deserve to be owned by a trainer with no self worth. That Pancham is a _fighter_. Are you?"

Ash was about to retort, but Serena quickly whipped her arm to her side to stop him.

"No, Ash," Started Serena, "He has a point."

Serena raised her head to meet Flint's stare, clenching her fists.

"You're right," She admitted, "I can't be weak. I won't get anywhere the way I am now. If I cower and cry, I'll never succeed...and my Pokemon will suffer for my mistakes."

Flint shrugged, "Words get you nowhere. Actions are what count, kid."

"I'm well aware," Retorted Serena, "So, are you ready?"

"Iron Tail."

"Dodge!"

A massive, metallic tail from Steelix attempted to slam Infernape into the wall, but thanks to Serena's quick rebuke, he managed to hop over the attack unharmed. Both Serena and Infernape gave their opposition cocky smirks.

"Well," Flint said, "You're a fast one. Both in reflex and in mood."

Flint took off his red beanie and tossed it behind him, standing up for the first time in the battle and hopping down from the boulder from where he was cracked his knuckles and and neck before crossing his arms and giving his opposition a smirk to match hers.

"Anyways, let's get this over with. I gotta check up on my stand before nightfall."

"You heard him, Infernape," Serena called out, "Let's end this quickly! Flare Blitz, go!"

Infernape complied in the form of roaring and releasing a hyperactive aura of crackling flames around him, uprooting and destroying small bits of nearby flooring stone from the ground. The fiery ape took the knee before bursting towards Steelix in a full-body tackle that knocked the giant metal serpent clean over.

"Rollout!"

"Catch it!"

Infernape just managed to avoid being blindsided by the rolling tortoise and turned around just in time to stop its assault due to Serena's eye on the field. Serena's eyes widened as the memories of Pancham's fate assaulted her vision at seeing the familiar scenario. She managed to grit her teeth and shake her head to rid herself of the grisly memory of her beloved Pokemon being drilled into the wall. Though luckily for her, Infernape didn't seem to be troubled at all from holding back the rolling Pokemon.

"Amazing, Infernape!" Serena cheered, "Now, use a consecutive volley of Mach Punches over and over to finish it off!"

Infernape pulled back his left hand to initiate a Mach Punch that stopped Golem dead in its tracks, only to pull back his right one as well and release a blinding volley of flashing white fists that completely enveloped the Rock-Type. Each hit shook the earth around them and slowly but surely chipped away at Golem's rough, rocky exterior.

"Don't let 'em get away with this!" Flint cried, "Steelix, Iron Head!"

"Infernape, grab Golem and use it as a shield!" Serena quickly reacted.

Infernape used the momentum of one of the speedy Mach Punches to make himself fly into a roll and whip itself around the Golem, holding up his arms just as Steelix, being coated in a silvery aura, rammed itself into the two and into a wall. Currently, Golem was the only thing keeping Infernape from meeting Pancham's fate ironically enough.

"Jump up!" Serena hastily commanded, eager to make sure she didn't mess up twice in the same way.

Infernape once again took the knee, waiting for the opportunity to jump out of harm's way. He breathed out a Flamethrower to stop Steelix just long enough to leap upwards and out of harm's way. Daring to look down, he saw that debris had now coated the rest of the field. Both of his opponents were lost from sight amidst dust and sand.

"Iron Tail!"

"Grab it, quick!"

Infernape's gaze snapped to below him to see a familiar giant, metal tail erupt from the debris. With nowhere to go and no way to propel himself away, Infernape could only take the attack head on. The attack slammed into him with immense force, sending him crashing into the roof above.

"Infernape, no!" Cried Serena, "Please, try to keep fighting if you can!"

Serena's worries were for naught. Infernape was far from done. With a mighty bellow, Infernape bolted from the roof and sent a Mach Punch rocketing at Steelix's head through the debris, sending the colossal Pokemon crashing into the ground.

Serena sighed and put a hand to her chest in relief, "Phew, thank goodness."

Serena's gaze sharpened, "Now, grab the tail!"

"Golem, Giga Impact!" Flint roared.

Infernape rushed over to the fallen Pokemon's giant tail and hoisted it over his shoulder. He turned his gaze to see Golem blazing a trail towards him, coated in a brilliant white sheen.

Serena recalled Ash's story from earlier. _Infernape obliged and began to pump itself up before gathering the strength to hurl the giant robot skyward._

"So, Infernape must be strong enough for this…" Mused Serena hopefully, "Infernape, lift Steelix over your head and slam it into Golem!"

To her relief and amazement, Infernape followed orders without issue. Infernape's head-flames burst upward as he used all of his might to lift the eight-hundred ton snake over his head, spinning it around to ease the weight placed on him using the momentum to carry the burden of its mass upward.

"Ready…" Serena warned.

"Golem, speed up!" Flint hollered, "Nail that monkey before it gets the chance!"

In response, Golem's white surrounding aura erupted furiously and it bolted forward like a comet, making the very ground split in its wake.

"Now!" Serena ordered.

Infernape raised the helpless Pokemon's tail over his head with a furious cry and jumped upward to slam the colossus into the ground below. Golem found itself completely buried as its partner's body crashed into it from above. Its armor nearly shattered as its incredibly fast pace was completely halted in its tracks by the metal behemoth, and it didn't help that it was weak to Steel-Types.

"Finish them, Infernape!" Serena cheered, pumping her fist, "Flare Blitz, go!"

"Yeah, go for it, Infernape!" Ash cheered from the back of the room as the rest of his team, save Sceptile of course, followed suit, "You got this!"

Serena could feel Pancham cheering his trainer and Infernape on from his ball.

Infernape bellowed mightily as he surrounded himself with massive flames that swallowed the stone around him. He jumped into the air and allowed the flames to grow even mightier to the point where everyone in the room save Serena had to look away for fear of being blinded.

"Finish this!" Cried Serena.

Infernape roared once more and fell unto the earth below like a meteor. The very battlefield itself was lifted and erased amongst the flames that mimicked the sun itself. Golem's and Steelix's cries were drowned out by their fiery surroundings. Finally, the flames suddenly died down and smoke, dust, and debris filled the Gym, obscuring the Pokemon from view. Everyone in the room waited with baited breath to see the outcome of the fight. Serena gasped as a dim flame could be seen amidst the battlefield's remains.

"Infernape!" Serena cried with joy.

Indeed, once the smoke cleared, there stood Infernape standing atop Steelix's charred and unconscious body while holding Golem, who had retreated into its blackened shell, above his head with his right arm.

"Infernape, you did it!" Serena and Ash unanimously cheered as they ran over to congratulate their partner.

Flint sighed and rubbed the sweat off of his head with his red beanie, now seeing he was utterly defeated.

"Welp," Flint conceded, pulling out two brown, shiny badges, "You two beat me, it seems. Here you go. These are genuine Boulderbadges."

Serena and Ash grinned from ear to ear as they held their proof over the Pewter City's Gym in their hands.

"All right!" The two young trainers cheered, holding the badges skyward, "We got...the Boulderbadge!"

"Fernape!" Infernape cheered along.

Flint took out his two Pokemon's Pokeballs and clicked the button on their centers, sending out a red beam that retrieved them and re-encapsulated them.

"Wait," Serena said suddenly, "Is it really okay to take this Badge when I didn't use my own Pokemon to beat yours?"

Flint shrugged, "You're the one directin' 'em. So the credit's split. 'Sides, it's already nightfall. You best be gettin' back to the Pokemon Center for the night, and I'm sure you two don't wanna battle me again. I gotta head back t' my stand by Viridian t' make sure none of my merchandise got stolen or broken while I was gone."

Ash nodded, "Thanks, Flint!"

His response was a meager, bored wave.

* * *

Ash and Serena burst through the entrance of the Pokemon Center, panting frantically as they sprinted in to escape the thundering storm that had appeared seemingly out of nowhere as they made their way back from the Gym. Pikachu shook itself dry, further drenching Ash due to being on his best friend's shoulder. The two drenched trainers made their way up to the front desk, pushing past a other trainers that had also taken shelter from the storm.

"Excuse me," Ash said to a nearby Chansey, "Do you think you could take my Infernape and heal him up?"

"My Pancham too," Serena piped in, offering his Pokeball.

"Chans, Chansey!" The Egg Pokemon chirped, taking the two Pokeballs and running off into the back room.

"Well, that takes care of that," Ash said with a yawn, "So, how was your first Gym?"

"Honestly," Serena replied, frowning, "It was pretty stressful,"

Ash shrugged, "Nobody said it was easier, but it gets easier with time, believe me."

Serena shook her head and smiled, "Don't worry, Ash. I'm not quitting anytime soon."

"Excuse me," A voice cut in.

Serena and Ash turned their heads to the perpetrator of the voice to see Nurse Joy holding a Pokeball in her hand.

"I believe this is your Braixen, if I remember correctly."

"Braixen!" Serena exclaimed with joy, running over to the Nurse to retrieve her partner.

"She's a strong one," Nurse Joy complimented as she handed over Braixen's Pokeball, "She complied without question as I applied the adhesives to her wounds."

"Thank you," Serena chirped gratefully, "Braixen's a lot tougher than I originally thought, and I plan to use that strength to its fullest."

Nurse Joy gave a small bow, "Just don't push her too hard."

With that, the nurse walked off back to her work.

"I know," Serena called out with a smile, "Thanks, Nurse Joy!"

Suddenly, the light from the Pokemon Center flickered and went out, making some of the trainers cry out in response. Some of them opted to send out some of their Fire-Types to light the place up.

"Please do not panic!" Nurse Joy cried out, running back to the scene, "I believe a breaker went out due to the storm, is all! Now, if any of you have Electric-Type Pokemon, it would be very appreciated if you would help restore power for the time being."

"We'll help," Ash pitched in, "Right, Pikachu?"

"Pika, Chuu!" Ash's partner replied in agreement.

"Sure, we'll help," Another trainer said as he released an Electabuzz.

"Us too!" A young girl offered, releasing an Electrode.

Soon enough, more and more trainers began releasing various Electric-Types to aid the nurse, ranging from the common Voltorb to off-region rarities like Luxray.

Nurse Joy smiled gratefully, "Thank you for your patronage. Please follow me to the back."

Nurse Joy waved her hand, motioning the others to follow. She led them to a door to the left of the front desk, opening it to reveal a dark hallway.

"Voltorb, use Flash!" A trainer offered.

The Pokeball-like Pokemon began buzzing and shaking, emitting a faint glow that still illuminated the hallway nonetheless. Nurse Joy nodded gratefully and resumed leading the train of trainers and Pokemon to what Ash assumed to be the generator room at the end of the hall.

"You coming?" Ash asked Serena, who shook her head.

"Nah, I don't have any Pokemon that could help anyways. I'd end up in the way if I came along."

Ash shrugged, "Suit yourself. C'mon, Pikachu."

"Now," Nurse Joy said, "If we can charge this generator enough, it should last for the rest of the night. I'll clap my hands when we've reached the amount needed. Begin when you're ready."

With that, the group of trainers backed off and let their Pokemon handle this situation. The Electric-Types all began loosing a great number of electric bolts at the generator to charge its battery. The room was bathed in a bright yellow light as dozens of Electric-Types shot electricity into the generator.

"Almost…" Nurse Joy warned after minutes of tiring work.

Suddenly, Nurse Joy clapped her hands together, signaling the Pokemon to cease fire. With the Pokemon no longer firing, the room returned to pitch black once more. Though, the darkness didn't last long as the nurse fumbled with a large switch, returning the Pokemon Center to light once more. Cheers could be heard erupting from the front room of the Center at the light's return.

"Nice job, Pikachu!" Ash congratulated, picking up his tired partner and setting him upon his right shoulder, "Now, let's head back to Serena, eh?"

When the two friends went back to see their third member, she was completely passed out on one of the benches protruding from the bottom of the walls.

Ash sighed with a tired smile, "Why am I not surprised, buddy?"

"Pi, Ka…"

A powerful yawn overcame Ash, forcing Pikachu to do the same.

"Pheeew…" Ash exclaimed, "I think that's our bodies' way of saying we should do the same, huh buddy?"

"Pi…" Ash's partner agreed tiredly.

Placing Pikachu atop Serena's legs and finding a nearby chair, Ash allowed his fatigue from the day's work finally overtake him.

* * *

A dark figure slipped behind an old alleyway, for even in a dark, stormy night like this one, vigilance was always of the utmost importance for Secret Agent 100KR, or "Looker" as he was now known as by the few who knew him. Right now, Looker's newest case was on the threat of the Ultra Beasts. He frowned as he recalled the last time he was assigned this mission. He remembered the screams of his partner as she was devoured alive by UB "Glutton". Nevertheless, his personal business must be pushed aside for the sake of the public's safety. Looker darted to a nearby metal door towards the back of the alley, pulling out his state-of-the-art Magnemite Pen, using its magnetic pull to lockpick the door open and rushed inside.

Looker slipped inside, scanning the dark room quickly before rushing up the stairs after determining there was no one else in the room. As he made his way through various rooms, deciding on which one would be best for his mission, he noticed posters here and there with a pink-haired girl and the name "MARY" on it. Looker shook his head and resolved to focus on his mission. No distractions could be afforded in his line of work. Though, this poster was located directly near a very important-looking booth. It had various buttons and levers decorating the thing,so the Secret Agent assumed this thing clearly must be important. Upon further inspection and fiddling around, he figured this thing must be used for broadcasting. Maybe it could be used to _take in_ radio signals as well.

Looker pulled a small laptop from inside his brown jacket. As he fumbled around with adapter wires and such to connect his computer to this place's mainframe, he noticed that the wires were completely different than the ones needed to connect to the board. With an internal groan, Looker tucked away the wires and began scanning the nearby rooms and closets to find something that might be of use. Finally, he reached what he assumed to be the CEO's main office. Turning the doorknob slowly, he inched his way inside and scanned the room for anything that could be of any use to him. As he inspected the CEO's desk, he came upon a small, locked drawer. Once again calling upon his trusty Magnemite Pen, the drawer swiftly opened and a various assortment of colored wires fell onto the floor by Looker's feet. Though, the moment could not be celebrated as a voice rang out from the agent's hidden walkie-talkie, nearly making him jump in surprise.

" _Bel to KR,_ " The voice rasped, " _I repeat: Bel to KR, do you copy_?"

"This is KR to Bel, copy."

" _You need to leave immediately_ ," The voice rasped once more, " _Multiple individuals have found out your location and are closing in as we speak._ "

"How long do I have?"

" _Ten Minutes_ ,"

"More than enough time, over."

" _Looker, no!_ " The crackling voice cried, " _You don't have enough time! We can try again la-_ "

"Anabel," Looker interrupted, "You know full well this place will become far more guarded after today since they know I'm here. We won't get a second chance, and you arguing with me is only furthering my decreasing chances of completing this mission and making it out. Over."

Before the voice, now known as Anabel, cold intervene further, Looker clicked a button to silence the walkie-talkie. With a heavy sigh, the agent picked up the mess of wires and began running back to the booth as quickly and quietly as possible. Once he arrived, he stopped in his tracks to stare out of a nearby window. He narrowed his eyes and sprinted to his destination as he saw a bright light moving quickly towards the building from a nearby street.

Upon arrival, Looker furiously began fumbling to attach the wires from his laptop to the breaker before he ran out of time. He silently cheered as he managed to connect to the mainframe, but quickly shook himself of that notion as he reminded himself that he was on the verge of discovery. As he opened his small laptop, his fingers began bolting from key to key in a desperate attempt to enter the facilities' radio signaling. It took all of his willpower not to cheer out. Suddenly, he heard quite possibly one of the most chilling sounds of his life, and that was saying something. Looker's eyes widened with dread as he heard the screeching of tires _right by the building_. In terror, he furiously typed on the keyboard until finally. _Finally_. He got the radio signal he was looking for.

" _Necrozma_." A voice could be heard but not seen from the laptop screen. All that could be seen from the nearly pitch-black room was the faint red glow of a smoking cigar.

" _N-_ " The voice from a creature that's appearance shook Looker to the core said. There's no mistaking that, this thing was an Ultra Beast.

" _Ah-ah-ah_." The invisible voice chided, "My name is not something to be said lightly, for you never know who might be listening."

Looker's breath caught in his throat. It's like this man _knew_ he was listening to him.

" _Diligence is of the utmost importance_."

" _Diligence?_ " The dark Ultra-Beast asked, almost in a mocking way, " _I was under the impression you were the most powerful being on your planet. Why does someone of your power need diligence?_ "

Speaking of diligence, Looker's mind faded as he was completely engrossed by the conversation between these two... _things_.

" _Oh believe me_ ," The Man countered, " _I am. Just in a different way than yours,_ _ **partner**_."

The dark Ultra-Beast chuckled in a manner that sent chills up Looker's spine, " _I am looking forward to seeing this power._ "

" _As am I, partner. As am-_ "

Looker's laptop was suddenly slammed shut, making the Secret Agent jump out of his seat. Looker looked up to see a hulking figure of a man, clad in an odd, grey suit with some weird symbol on the right shoulder blade. Though, Looker had no time to dwell on it as a flashlight was shined in his face, making him turn away to keep his eyesight intact.

"You're messing with things you shouldn't be, _boy_."

As the man attempted to corner and grab the secret agent, the ever-crafty looker managed to worm his way around the giant man's arm and ripped out a wire from a nearby frame, shoving it into the man's large chest and sending him into a frenzy of spastic, flurried movements, making the entire building light up like a Christmas tree. Once Looker finally pulled the wire away, the man's unconscious, or worse, body collapsed onto the floor in a fit of twitching, releasing his flashlight onto the ground beneath the Secret Agent's feet. Quickly taking the opportunity, Looker quickly reached for his laptop and tucked it into his jacket. But before he made his great escape, Looker decided to remedy an "itch", so to speak. Picking up the fallen giant's flashlight, Looker inspected the man's right shoulder to find a symbol made in velcro that consisted of what Looker assumed to be either the night sky or the depths of space, and a blue explosion with a diagonal ring matching its color surrounding it.

"What, is Team Galactic back or something?" Looker huffed.

In any case, Looker had what he needed and what he _didn't_ need was reinforcements after him. Turning off the flashlight and setting it quietly onto the ground, he began sprinting for the stairs. The flashlight would only serve to give away his presence.

" _Weeeeave_ ," A high pitched, scratchy voice murmured threateningly.

Well, so much for not giving away his position.

Quickly darting to the side, Looker barely managed to dodge an Ice Beam that froze the ground where he was standing, making a trail of ice that stretched out up the wall. He turned back only to narrowly duck under a Metal Claw coming directly for his neck, taking his opportunity to continue running. As he sprinted to the stairs, he could hear the light pitter-patter of Weavile hopping from place to place in pursuit. Thinking quickly, the Secret Agent quickly pulled out a bunch of small shock traps from his jacket pockets and threw them onto the ground behind him. He didn't turn back as he heard the agonized screams of his pursuer.

As Looker made his way down to the bottom floor, he could manage a light glimpse of the door he came from. Looker's heart pounded intensely, threatening to burst open at any moment from the sheer intensity of Looker's escape. He could practically feel the doorknob within his hand when he was blown away onto his back by a wall exploding outward. Quickly scrambling onto his feet, Looker barely jumped out of the way of a blue arm coated in muscles.

" _CHAAAAAAAAAMP!_ "

Looker let out a defiant glare as a blue, beak-mouthed, muscle-clad, four-armed brute punched its four fists together threateningly. The Machamp took a swing at the agent, but Looker had trained for this. Looker managed to jump horizontally in such a way that one of the arms barely passed by below him, as well as the other arm above him, catching nothing but air as Looker sprinted with the last of what he had towards the exit. Looker burst through the metal door only to bump into something large and stone-like. Rubbing his head and looking up, he could see a black figure peering down at him amidst the rain with eyes glowing bright orange. Looker shielded his eyes as the headlights of the SUV from earlier turned on. He peered with squinting eyes to see the SUV blocking the alleyway. Scrambling onto his hands and knees, the agent desperately tried to run back into the building only to peer up at Machamp glaring down at him. He could see the Weavile from earlier looking ready to kill him from between Machamp's legs. Looker cried out as the scruff of his jacket was pulled up by the third Pokemon that he had bumped into. Hanging from his jacket, Looker could see that this Pokemon holding him was none other than one of the ferocious Tyranitar who was smiling cruelly at his prey. With nowhere to go and out of escape options, all Looker could do was hang his body limply in defeat. The last thing he saw was a green fist heading towards his face before he blacked out.

* * *

Creator- How did those ten-motherducking-thousand words treat you, eh? This one was super difficult to write around the middle, like when Serena was panicking and moping over Pancham briefly. Took forever to get past that _tiny little_ part, but I did it. All for your guys's sake.

Hydra- This chapter turned out way better than I had originally expected I hope you guys loved it. You can expect long chapters from now on because we had a lot more stuff that we wanted to add, but couldn't because the chapter would probably be around 15k words and that's waaaayyyy too long.

Creator- With that, time for Reviews!

 **Amourshippingfan**

"Good battle I liked seeing serana battle samurai of all people and almost win if he had not had that butt fired and I loved the look on Delia's face when ash caked her and how she found out Ash and Serena are dating and how she freaked out and I like how their both changing the kanto league together"

Creator- Ah, our most loyal Reviewer. Yeah, Serena's gonna have an incredibly prominent role, if you couldn't tell lol.

Hydra- Yeah Samurai's Butterfree was very shady, if it wasn't for them tricking Ash and Serena his Butterfree would have been demolished.

 **TeamPiperM**

"I guess you're right about Malva. Also, props for making this chapter hilarious with Samurai's Buterfree and Mew's response to Giratina's outburst."

Creator- I guess you could say Samurai's Butterfree is the _King_ of them all. Props if you get that reference.

Hydra- I'm glad you liked how Mew reacted to being called a spoiled brat because it shows that she won't take crap from anyone and that she might be all cute and cuddly on the outside but dark and unforgiving on the inside.

 **Piss Cake**

"Wow, what an amazing story! Super hyped for Necrozma to show up!"

Creator- Does this please you, milord? Also, your name reminds me of the SNOIPAH from TF2. Was that intentional.

Hydra- Oh do not worry, you will love Necrozma in the future. We have huge! Plans.

 **Fag Lord**

"Holy crap this is awesome! My heart was beating so hard at Talonflame VS Spearow Flock!"

Creator- Yeah, that fight used to be my proudest one, but after Necrozma shows up again, that title will be given to him.

Hydra- That fight is nothing compared to what we have coming later so if that caused your heart to beat "so hard" than prepare to have a heart attack for what we have in store.

 **Lord Metallix**

"Are you planning on having Necrozma kill Rayquaza?"

Creator- Well it isn't Rayquaza, but there's this lol...and it aint finished just yet...

Hydra- Let's just say there's gonna be some collateral damage. ;)

Creator- We both look forward to any and all Reviews you guys give us, so keep 'em coming. Any and all are welcomed and will always be welcomed.

Hydra- I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, please continue to follow and fav and we'll be sure to answer any review you guys leave support or criticism. We'll see you in the next chapter and don't worry it won't take long.


	5. Chapter 5: Demise

The room was nearly pitch-black, save the tiny, red light emanating from The Man's cigar as he watched His captive slowly regain consciousness.

"Finally," The Man stated as Secret Agent Looker opened his eyes once more, "I was beginning to think I wouldn't be able to do this _myself_."

The Man threw His cigar to the ground and stamped on it, crushing it beneath His foot and grinding it to ashes.

"You have caused me much trouble, Agent Looker."

"How do you know my name?!" Looker demanded, thrashing about. He looked down at himself to see that he was bound in rope and his pants were currently the only clothing on his body. He could feel his nose was broken from his previous encounter with that Tyranitar.

"It wasn't very difficult. You really shouldn't keep so much information on one device, _Jason_."

The Man turned to reach for something on His desk. He turned back to Looker with a shining, cocky grin amidst the darkness surrounding the rest of His body. In His hand, He held Looker's laptop.

All Looker could do was scowl at Him, but this only widened The Man's grin.

"You fool," The Man spat with the grin still evident on His concealed face, "You have delved into business you have no place in."

The Man pulled out something shiny and metallic from His pocket and with a loud bang that forced Looker to wince, half of the laptop fell to the ground with a light thud. He kicked it over to the imprisoned agent, earning a growl.

"I have no place in this?!" Looker demanded, "I know your connection to the Ultra-Beasts! I know how dangerous they are and how you connect to them!"

Looker winced as another bang filled the room, making his ears ring. He tilted his head to the side in reflex as something hot and loud whizzed by his head.

"You know nothing of me," The Man countered, His grin gone, "And you do not know even a fraction of what the Ultra-Beasts are capable of."

"You're insane!" Looker shouted, "You'll get everyone killed!"

The Agent's eyes opened, bloodshot as another bang filled the room. His leg felt like it was on fire, but he had been trained not to scream when in pain, so he simply gritted his teeth and did all in his power to accommodate his title and training.

" _ **Wrong**_ ," The Man spat, "I will save this world from itself. The Ultra-Beasts are only the beginning, Looker."

The Man pointed the metal object towards Looker once more, glare coating His face, or what Looker could see of it anyways.

"My goal is to save humanity, ...which makes it a shame that I must do this."

Upon inspection, Looker found that what The Man was carrying was an old handgun. He hadn't seen anyone use one of those in ages, since Pokemon could normally outperform a gun with ease.

"I'm sorry, Agent Looker of the International Police," The Man stated in finality, "But I cannot let my plans be known to anyone else. You have dug your own grave this time. You've accepted your last mission."

Looker glared at The Man defiantly, even in his state. His response was this man's disgusting grin returning.

"Nothing personal, but the thing is," Looker heard a click, "The game was set from the start."

One final loud bang amongst the pitch-black was the last thing Secret Agent Looker of the International Police ever heard.

* * *

The Legendary Bird of Fire let out a bestial cry as it was sent sprawling across the stony ocean floor now that there was no water to break its fall. Though ironically enough, stone was worse for it than water anyways.

" _ **Is that the best you can do?**_ " The dark creature taunted, " _ **You had better start livening things up before I get bored.**_ "

The creature's red eyes pierced the very soul of Zapdos and Articuno, who were fighting desperately to save themselves of whatever fate this thing had in store for them.

" _ **Because I can assure you, ...you will prefer what is happening to you now to what I can come up to entertain myself with**_."

And yet still in defiance, the Electric Bird and Ice Bird of legend screeched at this creature, spewing out electric and icy bolts of energy from their beaks.

" _ **Yes, that's it**_ ," The demon chortled, stopping the two beams in their tracks with a finger, " _ **Keep me entertained for as long as you can**_."

With a chilling, mechanical-sounding laugh, the dark creature disappeared from sight, constantly warping from place to place in circles around the two birds before finally appearing above them and grabbing them by their heads. Before the Legends even had time to react, they found themselves being dragged downward, their heads being forced towards the approaching ocean floor. All they could do was wince before the two were pummeled into the stone, their faces being used to drill into the ground. Suddenly, the creature's palms began glowing white and Zapdos and Articuno were shot further downward into the earth by two white balls of energy. The creature reappeared above the crater in time for a massive pillar of light erupt from it, uprooting the nearby stone.

The creature looked up to see that a storm had brewed, intense rain and lightning coating the area. If those two somehow survived, they'd drown before long. The creature was about to turn and leave when a jet of flame was shot in his direction, though it had no effect. There Moltres was, flying in place looking fit for hours of battle. The creature would have fun turning that lust for battle into pure terror.

Disappearing from sight, the dark creature reappeared behind the Bird of Fire and slammed one of its massive hands upon the backside of its head, sending it careening to the earth below. In surprise, Moltres had no chance to stop its descent in time and bounced forcefully on the rocky ocean floor. Taking the opportunity, the dark creature rushed downwards at speeds beyond sight, pulling back its arm and rammed it into Moltres's back as it bounced upward. Moltres let out a pained screech as the ground beneath it was replaced with a crater.

" _ **You're boring me**_ ," The creature warned, " _ **But I'm feeling merciful at the moment**_ ,"

The creature held out an arm and one of its protruding arm crystals began glowing a blinding white, forcing Moltres to close its eyes in terror.

" _ **So, instead of torturing you until your weak, fragile little mind is completely shattered, I think I'll just reunite you with your two friends.**_ "

A large bolt of crackling electricity combined with a blue, beam of icy energy crashed into his back. Taking the opportunity laid out to it due to the dark creature's distraction, Moltres let out a roar and summoned a bright, crimson red orb of fire around itself that exploded outward, destroying the ground underneath it and hopefully managing to damage its attacker. Using its newfound space, Moltres took off and distanced itself from the creature below. To the bird's horror, the creature stared up at the three birds without a single visible sign of damage even still. And even worse, its crystal was still glowing brightly and its arm was pointed directly at them.

The three Legends scrambled for safety as a dark, menacing cackle rang throughout the night sky and a giant white ball of...something shot upwards at them. The three barely dodged out of the way as the colossal ball of energy skyrocketed past them into the sky. As the three looked up at the passing ball, they were suddenly forced to turn away and shut their eyes tightly as a blinding white light coated the night sky at the ball's explosion. When the light finally dimmed and they could see, Zapdos attempted to look up only for a streak of white to explode in its face. Moltres and Articuno were frantically spinning and flipping, doing whatever they could to dodge as a storm of deadly white streaks of light rained down upon the rocky sea floor, sending up millions of tiny shards of stone as they exploded upon contact. Articuno began furiously firing Ice Beam after Ice Beam at the streaks, doing all that it could to defend itself. After the initial hit, Zapdos seemed to be doing fine for the most part. It sent out a Discharge, making a dome of intense electricity that made the white meteoric streaks explode upon contact that protected Zapdos from harm. That is, until the dark creature appeared in front of it once more. Unfazed by the electricity, the creature extended its arm towards the bird. In a panic, Zapdos cut off the Discharge attack. But it was too slow, for the creature's index finger shot forward, catching Zapdos by the beak and sending it careening into one of the white streaks. Upon the streak's explosion, Zapdos was sent flying back towards the creature who simply backhanded the bird back into another streak. This went on for quite some time until finally, the creature pulled back its massive fist and shot it into the incoming Electric Pokemon, sending a loud shockwave across the night sky. Zapdos's back arched as the creature drove its fist into its spine until finally, the creature pressed its fist forward and Zapdos was blasted through the air, getting sent into hundreds of the streaks but not one of the following explosions slowing its pace. The creature appeared once more in Zapdos's path, sending out another devastating punch that stopped Zapdos in its tracks, halting all previous momentum. The sheer force of these attacks proved too much for the Electric Bird of Legend, and its eyes slowly closed as its body was forced into shutdown as its wounds overtook it.

" _ **Hmm,**_ " The dark creature mused as it held the unconscious Legend hanging on its fist, " _ **It seems we're down a challenger.**_ "

The creature's hand that held Zapdos was lit white once more.

" _ **Then scum will die like scum**_."

A white ball shot out of the creature's hand, carrying Zapdos into the depths of the stormy night sky. The creature disappeared once more and appeared above the dark clouds. Zapdos soon appeared from below it, being forced upward by the ball of light. The dark creature set its gaze upward and extended its arm skyward. The creature's arm-crystal began lighting up in a harsh, blinding white sheen. As Zapdos unwittingly approached the pitch-black creature, said creature's arm shot down in a vicious chopping motion. A massive explosion ensued as the ball that carried the inert Legend was detonated by the unearthly force of the creature's attack. Zapdos's descent lasted but an instant. Neither of the other two birds below even realised their companion was utterly annihilated, only that once the white streaks finally stopped, something behind them crashed with enough force to quite literally blow them away, along with any nearby seafloor that was unfortunate enough to be nearby Zapdos as its limp body was hurtled into the ground. As the two birds regained control of their movements, Moltres jolted towards the crater in an attempt to figure out what it was. Though as the Bird of Fire approached, the dark creature reappeared once more in front of it and promptly backhanded the Legend, jutting its crystal into the bird's face and sending it hurtling off to its side. Articuno was about to give chase to its comrade when the creature snapped its gaze in its' direction, making the Bird of Ice's blood run, ironically, cold. If Articuno knew any better, it'd have thought the dark creature was smirking knowingly at it. Articuno floated helplessly as the dark creature's image blurred in the direction Moltres was sent, a dark, cybernetic-sounding chuckle being left behind.

Moltres, meanwhile, was currently hurtling across the skies, uncontrollably spinning like a drill as its wings were blown backward by the speeds it was soaring at. With a familiar dark chuckle, the creature manifested itself above Moltres, continuously soaring sideways to effortlessly keep up with its prey. Raising its arms, the creature clasped its three fingers and performed a double-handed slam, sending the Bird of Fire on a collision course to the rocky ocean floor. Though, Moltres never made it to its rocky destination as the creature reappeared once more below Moltres. The creature jolted upwards, throwing a ball of white past the Legend and delivering a devastating punch into the bird's chest and sending it straight into the white ball. Upon contact, the ball exploded violently and sent the Flame Pokemon spiraling away. But the creature waited for this. Warping into Moltres's unintended flight path once more, the monstrosity lit up its entire arm, and for the first time in the entire battle, let out something of a roar—some noise signifying that is was using something resembling _effort_ for the first time in the entire battle as it sent its blindingly white fist careening into the Flaming Bird of Legend. Upon impact, the sheer, ungodly force of the punch seemingly split the very forces of nature itself. The ground beneath the battling titans ripped open as if the earth itself was imploding, the clouds above disappeared into thin air, leaving the exposed moon to hang over the night sky, and the punch itself seemingly generated plasmatic, sparking lightning that ripped apart the ground it came in contact with before all the built-up pressure and force of the punch finally sent Moltres flying. Though, the creature mercilessly pursued the bird, reappearing in the bird's path once more to stop it in its track with one final punch.

" _ **Heh heh heh heh…"**_ The monstrosity chortled as it gazed upon its fallen prey, " _ **Remember this, worm. Whoever you may be; whatever you may be...you will bow to me or die in the end**_."

With that, the demon dropped its prey into the rocky depths below.

In what remained of the nearby oceans, a creature known as the Beast of the Sea slept uneasily, tossing and turning in its nightmares. Finally, the beast woke with a start just in time to see the very ocean around him being forced away from where it slept in the form a wall of water jetting backwards away from...something. Flapping its massive wings, the beast soared upward and gazed around the night sky, searching for whatever might have done this. Its head snapped to its left as it felt a great force being unleashed. The beast attempted to use its Psychic powers to surmise the status of the three elemental birds it was assigned to watch over, only to find one of their life signatures intact. The other two, Zapdos and Moltres, were nearly unrecognizable and diminishing at an alarming rate. But that didn't make sense! Those three had enough energy to fight each other for weeks upon end, and the Beast would have noticed them fighting almost immediately after they started! Perhaps they were fighting something else...maybe the interloper from before had come back? No, even then, their life signatures hardly diminished during that whole ordeal, and from what it gathered, the man trying to capture them was only doing just that: capturing them. And if he were back, the Beast would have sense his life signature as well, yet Articuno was the only one it sensed in the vicinity...whatever happened, it had enough power to _push back_ the ocean itself, and that alone was reason to investigate. With a song-like humm of sorts, the white Beast of the Sea took off in Articuno's direction.

Articuno gazed with horror upon what it believed to be the battered corpse of Zapdos in the large crater that had appeared behind itself and Moltres. The Bird of Ice could only assume Moltres met the same fate due to the horrific sound it'd had heard not too long ago, which filled it with dread at what that... _monstrosity_ had planned for _it_ next.

" _ **Thinking of me?**_ " The creature condescendingly asked as it reappeared soundlessly behind its final prey, making the Freeze Pokemon quickly turn around and jolt away from the monster with a panicked screech.

" _ **I'm flattered. Well, time to die.**_ "

Before Articuno could move, it was knocked away by a blurred figure, only to be once again knocked away from its flight path from the back by another blurred blow. Again and again, Articuno was uncontrollably knocked around by thousands of invisible attacks, and yet there was nothing it could do to stop it from happening. Was this its fate? Articuno was sent spiraling across the black sky. Would these Legends capable of bringing destruction to the entire world be tossed aside like trash by some unknown interloper?! The Icy Bird of Legend found itself the victim of a backhand, the creature's arm crystal embedding itself into Articuno's chest. No...this cannot be… Articuno rocketed into the grasp of the creature, the back of its head firmly in the demon's grasp.

" _ **You?**_ " The creature demanded, " _ **YOU are considered a LEGEND amongst your kind?! YOU are considered among your best?!**_ "

This thing could read minds?!

" _ **Indeed**_ ," The creature answered, confirming Articuno's internal question, " _ **From what I've gathered from your memories, I guess I would be called a Psychic-Type from my powers among your people.**_ "

The creature rammed its fist into Articuno's back, making an audible cracking sound and earning a shrill cry from the Freeze Pokémon.

" _ **But maybe Dark would be more fitting**_."

The dark creature repeated itself, making Articuno cry out in agony.

" _ **Wouldn't you agree?**_ "

In a berserked response, Articuno furiously released an Ice Beam to no avail.

" _ **None of that, now**_." The creature chided, tightening its grip to a painful degree to stop Articuno, " _ **Accept your end with dignity**_."

The dark hand gripping the Legendary Bird lit up at the palm once more and Articuno prepared for the worst. Against its will, Articuno found its mind assaulted with the memories of Zapdos and Moltres. It felt, it heard, it saw... _everything_. Screeching in agony and panic, Articuno flailed its body wildly in a desperate attempt to free itself of this demon. All the while, the demon only laughed at this display. Articuno figured this... _thing_ was used to doing this…

" _ **Remember my face, worm,**_ " The creature spat, " _ **For it will be the last thing your worthless little mind ever comprehends.**_ "

Articuno clenched its eyes shut, awaiting the end in terror when a massive orange laser came barreling towards the dark demon. In reflex, the creature held up its open arm to catch the laser, but actually found itself surprised when the laser split apart and flew through the gaps in its fingers straight into the creature's face. In frustration, the dark creature threw its captant into the ground below and turned a deathly glare to its attacker.

" _ **WHO DARES?!**_ "

There the Beast of the Sea was, floating in place and giving the creature a death-glare of its own. The dark demon could have sworn he heard some type of song emanating from this new quarry.

" _You must be Necrozma_."

Necrozma's form lost its tenseness, once again letting his arms hang to his sides.

" _ **Hmph**_ ," Scoffed Necrozma, " _ **I see my reputation proceeds me. And who, might I ask, are you?**_ "

" _I am Lugia; The Beast of the Sea_."

Necrozma scoffed, " _ **I suppose with the sea gone, that means you no longer serve a purpose, correct?**_ "

Lugia scowled at the demon in its wake, " _The only one with no purpose here is you, Necrozma. Leave this planet at once_."

" _ **HAH!**_ " Mocked Necrozma, " _ **I will leave when this planet is under my foot or under my list of genocides**_ ,"

" _THEN I WILL MAKE YOU LEAVE!"_

" _ **You'll die trying**_."

The Beast of the Sea roared valiantly and raised its neck upward, charging something in its mouth before releasing a vortex of harsh winds at Necrozma. The Ultra-Beast crossed its arms, letting the winds hit him with full effect. As he expected, they did nothing.

" _ **Your attacks**_ ," Necrozma said, " _ **Are but insect stings**_."

Necrozma disappeared from sight, reappearing directly in front of Lugia's face and bashing his fist into the Beast's forehead, resulting in the guardian careening down to the rocky seafloor below.

" _ **If this is your best, I might as well kill you here as to not waste my time any further.**_ "

Five orange lasers shot up from Lugia's position, surrounding Necrozma. The lasers quickly closed in on Necrozma, enveloping him in one massive one.

" _ **You call this attack "Hyper Beam", yes?**_ " Necrozma asked, unperturbed by the massive beam enveloping him, " _ **I admit, it is an interesting attack. Perhaps I might imitate it in the future…**_ "

Necrozma pointed a finger downward.

" _ **Another time, perhaps**_."

Out of Necrozma's finger, a near invisible pulse rocketed downward, pushing back the laser effortlessly right back into Lugia's face where it exploded upon contact. Though, this did not deter Lugia and it nearly immediately burst out from the smoke surrounding it, rushing up to Necrozma to unleash a pulse of Psychic energy that was intended to blast the Ultra Beast backwards. But of course, it was not meant to be. Unflinching, Necrozma simply held out an arm and blasted Lugia backward with a small pulse of his own.

" _ **I have seen all I needed**_ ," Announced Necrozma.

" _Does that mean you will leave?_ " Lugia asked with a scowl, having recovered from being blasted backwards.

Chuckling darkly, Necrozma shook his head.

" _ **Far from it, "Beast of the Sea"**_."

Necrozma sent a merciless glare towards Lugia, paralyzing it in its tracks in sheer dread.

" _ **It means…**_ "

Necrozma's body seemingly began tearing into dark shreds in the wind until he disappeared completely. Lugia cursed itself for feeling an ounce of hope when a menacing voice spoke from behind it.

" _ **I'VE LET YOU LIVE LONG ENOUGH!**_ "

Lugia was struck with the force of a thousand Aeroblast's, sending it into the ground. Necrozma reappeared below Lugia's destination to grab Lugia by the tail and swing it violently around itself repeatedly until the two became a blur, releasing it into the sky with the force to make the ground below them shatter. Darkly chuckling once more, Necrozma once again warped above Lugia to throw a storm of white balls of energy down into its path and warped beneath it so that it struck Lugia in the back and sent both of them careening into the hellish rain, using the Beast of the Sea as a shield to ram into dozens of the balls before finally throwing his final prey violently into the sky and, with the snap of his finger, the remaining balls changed course and viciously hurled themselves into Lugia.

" _ **DIE!**_ "

Necrozma closed his hand into a fierce grip, making the balls explode violently and lighting up the night sky in a bright sheen of white for a moment. When Lugia fell from the blast, Necrozma was far from done with his victim. Appearing once more, Necrozma spun his body around and struck Lugia's wing. Lugia screeched as it felt an audible crack from the punch, but the leader of the Ultra Beasts knew no such thing as mercy. With a monstrous cackle, Necrozma sent his version of a light punch at Lugia to stop it in its tracks. To Lugia's surprise, it suddenly felt revitalized, though the pain did not subside. When it looked at Necrozma questioningly, the monster simply chuckled and snapped his fingers. Suddenly, Lugia found itself surrounded by a bunch of what it could only describe as holes in the fabric of reality. Lugia could have sworn it saw a grin from the demon before it raised its arm and summoned a colossal ball of his familiar white energy. The ball itself seemed to blot out the sky until, oddly enough, it began to shrink. It began to shrink to the point where it could fit in Necrozma's hand like a ball. Cackling, Necrozma pointed a finger in Lugia's direction and the condensed ball of energy rocketed towards Lugia. Unwilling to take its chance with the holes, Lugia created a Light Screen to hopefully reduce the damage from the incoming attack. But to Lugia's surprise, the attack disappeared upon contact with one of the holes. Suddenly, Lugia was blown to the side as something struck its underside. Before it could regain its senses, Lugia barely saw a streak of light before it was struck across the face once more. When it saw the streak appear once more from above, Lugia managed to bolt to the left fast enough to catch a glimpse of what struck it. The ball of energy was using the holes to warp from place to place. Seeing another shine in the corner of its eye, Lugia ducked down in time for the ball to soar over its head. Lugia smirked as it deemed it had figured out the trick to this attack and began ducking and dodging the ball whenever it appeared from one portal and raced to the next.

" _ **Getting confident, are we?**_ " Necrozma coyly asked, " _ **Can't have that now, can we?**_ "

Summoning two more of the balls in each of his hands, Necrozma spun in place to throw them into his little pit of pain. Lugia screeched as the two new balls shot into the arena of sorts and collided with the Beast, forcing it into a deadly spin. The Legend soon found itself being assaulted by the three balls of energy, getting stricken across the wings,chest, and face whenever it messed up.

" _ **I don't think you're trying hard enough!**_ "

Throwing another ball of the mysterious white energy towards the dome of wormholes, Necrozma split its fingers outward, making the orb split into ten smaller ones that all began bombarding Lugia to the point that it could no longer move without getting struck. Lugia's eyes opened bloodshot in rage, letting out a bestial roar that had enough force to stop the orbs in their tracks...for a moment. Lugia's lungs found it hard to keep up and soon enough, Lugia found itself once again the pincushion of this monster. It was pelted again and again amidst the storm of endless white orbs, and there wasn't a single thing it could do.

" _ **Do you comprehend your situation yet?**_ " Necrozma demanded, " _ **This is what I make sure all my enemies feel before they die. True. Unadulterated. Fear. Fear and helplessness. This is what it feels like to be completely outmatched in every single way imaginable**_."

With the snap of a finger, the wormholes disappeared and all the orbs began glowing blindingly. Like its predecessors in this battle...all Lugia could do was close its eyes and wait for the end in terror and agony. Amidst the detonation, Necrozma appeared once more and grappled the so-called Legend by its head and dragged it downwards. Appearing out from the explosion, Necrzoma hurled Lugia downward and punched the Beast dead in its back and making the two crash into the empty sea below like a meteor. Debris rocketed into the dark skies above, raining down onto the rocky seabed like hail.

" _ **Done already?**_ " Taunted Necrozma, " _ **Very well**_."

As Necrozma lit up the palm of his hand to finish off the meager excuse of a Legend, it noticed something odd on Lugia's back. These blue...flaps were flapping furiously, as if attempting to carry the weight of the enormous being.

" _ **What are these things?**_ " Necrozma asked, grabbing one of the blue frills.

In a frenzied response, Lugia charged a Hyper Beam in its mouth with a glare that could kill and pointed its head directly in the Ultra-Beast's path only for said Ultra-Beast to bring its massive fist down upon Lugia's skull, forcing it shut.

" _ **Now, now.**_ " Chided Necrozma as if Lugia were a child, " _ **There's no need to be rude.**_ "

" _THEY ARE MY SCALES!_ " Lugia bellowed, " _THEY ARE USED FOR AERODYNAMICS, NOW LET ME BE!_ "

Necrozma nodded simply, " _ **I see**_."

 _ **RIIIP!**_

Lugia let out a bellowing screech of agony as one of its blue protrusions was ripped straight from its back. Though the Beast flailed furiously and attacked everything in sight, sending sweeping Hyper Beams at everything it lied its diluted eyes on, it could not hope to free itself from Necrozma's grasp.

" _ **Seems a bit too small to be used to make something like you dynamic**_."

Lugia lost all sense of self-preservation at these words and turned to unleash a colossal Hyper Beam directly into its assaulter, enveloping the dark demon completely and tearing through the walls of the crater they were in...but it was hopeless. Necrozma made it perfectly clear that there was absolutely nothing Lugia could do to repel this monster as the Ultra-Beast simply _floated_ directly through the what-would-be devastating attack and forced Lugia's mouth shut once more.

" _ **You know...I feel there is something to learn from this day**_." The creature offered, " _ **You've been calling me a demon throughout this entire fight**_."

Necrozma pulled its prey to stare deep into his cold, red eyes.

" _ **If you face a demon, you must be ready to die**_."

Necrozma extended its free hand to Lugia's face, enveloping its entire arm in a bright white once more. Lugia's rage turned to fear and then to pure dread once more as it struggled and failed to escape the intense grip of Necrozma. This only seemed to amuse the Ultra-Beast, and Necrozma soon began chuckling darkly. These chuckles turned into twisted laughter and then to cackling as Necrozma watched its dying prey struggle for its freedom. In a last-ditch effort for survival, Lugia used the last of its strength to use a reinforced Light Screen that surrounded its body in a yellow sheen before it was completely overtaken by a massive beam of white energy. The beam ripped through everything it came upon contact with, completely turning the ocean floor that Necrozma was facing towards into one massive, elongated crater. To Necrozma's genuine astonishment, Lugia lied miles off where he blasted the Beast, twitching but very much alive.

" _ **...Very well**_ ," Necrozma conceded, " _ **You have proven yourself more capable than I gave you credit for**_. _**I will let you live for now. You will live your final days in terror of when I finally eradicate this planet**_."

" _W_ _-_ _wait..._ " Lugia managed to cough out, " _Why...why are you doing this?! What are you after?!_ "

Necrozma simply let out a sigh, shrugged, and shook his head as if disappointed in Lugia for asking.

" _ **It's quite simple, really. I do this simply because I want to. I do what I do because once you reach an insurmountable power, one becomes bored.**_ "

Necrozma hung his hands to his side once more.

" _ **So in short, I do this for fun**_."

Necrozma's attention was gripped by a noise from behind him. As he turned around, Necrozma saw colossal waves of water rushing back to return to its original position.

" _ **Perhaps your purpose isn't yet over, Lugia**_ ," Necrozma mused, " _ **It seems you will be the Beast of the Sea once more**_."

Lugia couldn't bring itself to ask more as its vision finally faded, the dulled sounds of waves being the last thing it heard as Lugia's vision faded to darkness and Necrozma disappeared once more.

…

A vibrant green streak descended down from the heavens, stopping in its tracks above the disaster scene. This streak let out a roar that dispersed the green aura surrounding it and it gazed upon the tragedy with disdain coating its face.

" _No...I was too late!_ " The Sky High Legendary Dragon, Rayquaza stated in despair, " _I FAILED!_ "

* * *

Ash awoke with a loud yawn, stretching his arms to rid himself of his tensed muscles from sleeping upright in a chair. He rubbed his tired eyes open and raised an eyebrow when he saw every trainer from yesterday standing completely still, their eyes all glued to one singular thing. In confusion, Ash traced their vision slowly, inching his way up where they looked until he saw with widened eyes exactly what they were looking at. On a news monitor, the words, " _ **ORANGE ISLANDS COMPLETELY SUBMERGED IN APOCALYPTIC TSUNAMI. THOUSANDS MISSING. ASSUMED DEAD, BUT YET TO BE CONFIRMED**_ ," scrolling across the bottom of the screen in bold, red text.

"What?!" Cried out a girl from somewhere in the crowded Pokemon Center.

"I have family there!" A kid's voice shouted.

"In last night's storm," A woman in yellow commentated, "A fight between the Birds of Legend, now confirmed to exist from the incident five years ago, was believed to result in the Beast of the Sea, Lugia, summoning the great tsunami to submerge the Birds into their respective islands to prevent further battles."

"Lugia did this?!"

"That's horrible!"

"How could it do such a thing?!"

Ash felt a scowl crawl down his face.

"Nevertheless, submerging an entire sub-region resulted in the possible deaths of thousands including the confirmed deaths of Champion Drake and his underlings Danny, Rudy, and Luana. However, rumors of Cissy and her Water-Type Pokemon have been reported being seen escaping, but these have yet to be confirmed. Thousands of Pokemon seemingly sensed the danger ahead of time and have been seen appearing on nearby beaches in Vermillion City and Fuschia City en masse, keeping the Pokemon casualties to a minimum as they rode on one another to escape before the tsunami hit. Now we have an eyewitness survivor by the name of Christopher Lee who will be giving a report of what he saw while on a boat. Here's to you, Mr. Lee."

Ash and the other trainers were visibly blown back as a man with a small brown goatee began screaming furiously into a microphone.

"I SAW WHAT THAT THING DID!" The man bellowed, "IT DIDN'T CARE ABOUT A _SINGLE_ ONE OF US! IT DROWNED THOUSANDS OF INNOCENT PEOPLE BEFORE MY EYES!"

"Ash, are you seeing this?!" Serena whispered to the drowsy boy,

"Yeah," Replied Ash without taking his eyes off the screen, "I see a lie."

Serena was taken aback, "What?! Thousands of people are dead, Ash!"

Ash shook his head, "There's no refuting that, and it's horrible, but…"

Ash turned his gaze to Serena.

"I don't believe for a second it was Lugia that did this."

"Pi, Pika!" Ash's beloved partner exclaimed in agreement.

Before Serena could prod further, all the trainers were forced to cover their ears as Christopher Lee began rambling once more.

"AND WHAT DO THE POKEMON DO?! THEY FLEE! THEY ABANDONED THEIR TRAINERS AND LEFT THEM FOR DEAD TO SAVE THEMSELVES!"

For the first time they saw him, Christopher stopped yelling. In fact, a depressed and genuinely saddened look overcame the man, making him look old and tired instead of the raging attitude he had before.

"I'm just saddened…" Lee said, hanging his head, "Saddened by this turn of events. Pokemon, supposedly our devout partners day-in and day-out... _left_ their trainers...their supposed friends...to die. Like they were _nothing._ "

"Are all Pokemon really like that?"

"That can't be!"

"I dunno…"

Ash just scowled at the monitor screen, Pikachu crackling his cheeks angrily in agreement to his friend.

"This should serve an example," Lee stated, catching the attention of the Pokemon Center once more, "Pokemon aren't what we think they are. They obviously can't be trusted with human lives any longer."

As Christopher Lee's face disappeared from the screen, intense chattering filled the room. Ash growled as he heard things along the line of, "I didn't know Pokemon were like that," and "They left their trainers like that?" It was when he heard "I thought Pokemon were our friends" when Ash finally snapped.

"Shut up, all of you!" Ash bellowed, catching the entire room's attention, "None of you were there, none of you know what happened! One man makes accusations and you all believe Pokemon are heartless?!"

"You weren't there either," One trainer pointed out, only to be grabbed and hoisted up by Ash in his rage.

"I _WAS_ there!" Bellowed Ash, "I was there five years ago when this calamity almost happened before! I _met_ Lugia! I _saw_ him stop a man who made that fight between Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres to begin with! I _watched_ as thousands of Pokemon made their way to a battlefield where they could have been killed at any time, _just_ because they felt a duty to help save our world!"

Ash threw the trainer onto the ground in a heap before sending a piercing glare at the other trainers, "Pokemon have always been and will always be our devout partners, no, our _friends_! The only reason any of you are even here right now is because your Pokemon always had your back. You people don't even deserve to be called Pokemon Trainers!"

Ash swiftly turned to Serena, making her flinch until she saw his angered look had completely vanished.

"Serena," Began Ash, "Have you gotten our Pokemon back from Nurse Joy?

"Y-yeah…" Serena shakily replied with a nod.

"Good. Let's get out of here."

"O-okay!" Serena chirped, following Ash to the exit, Pikachu growling at the trainers to get them to make a path to the front door.

* * *

Serena walked silently with her head facing downward, hesitant to speak up for fear of upsetting Ash further.

"So," Ash started, making Serena jump, "That was a heck of a battle yesterday!"

"Wha-" Serena attempted to say, but her disbelief at Ash getting over what transpired just minutes earlier, but stumbling over her own words.

"Hmm?" Ash asked, turning back to the fumbling girl, "You okay there, Serena?"

Serena stood, mouth agape for a few seconds before shaking her head. She should be used to Ash's antics by now.

"Nah," Serena chirped with her usual smile returning, "I'm fine. Yeah, that was some battle yesterday! I was shaking the whole time!"

The two young trainers laughed cheerily, chattering away about their previous battle and upcoming endeavors.

"So," Said Serena, "Where to next?"

Ash took out his Pokedex to open up the Map functionality, displaying the Kanto Region's vast landmarks. Ash pointed to Pewter City and dragged his finger across the map to show Serena their next destination: Cerulean City.

"We have to go that far?!" Serena yelped.

"Well, it only seems far because of the mountain range."

Ash nearly tripped and fell over when Serena collapsed facedown in disbelief with a thud.

With a chuckle, Ash hoisted the collapsed girl over her shoulders and continued towards their destination.

"It'll blow by before ya know it," Ash said reassuringly, to which Serena simply let out a faint groan.

* * *

Serena's limp body swayed back and forth until suddenly she woke up with a start and yelped as she found herself dropped onto the ground on her behind.

"We're here!" Announced Ash.

Serena sighed, "Wow, you were right, Ash! It did blow by!"

"So," Started Serena once more, "Who's the Gym Leader this tiyieyieeem…"

Serena stared upward with her voice carrying off to see a colossal string of mountains towering over them imposingly; the tip of the tallest of the mountains shining in the way of the sun.

"Nobody said being a trainer was easy!" Ash said mockingly from ahead, quoting his earlier speech from their Gym battle with Flint.

Serena simply sighed, having grown accustomed to Ash's ways by now and gave chase.

Little did they know, the duo was being stalked by three mysterious figures.

"My my, James, is that who I think?" Mischievously asked the first.

"Please don't, Jess, you know my rhymes stink…" Replied the second one.

"Well, hey, ya rhymed right dere, so there's no need to slink!" The third one carried on.

"Team Rocket, BACK FROM THE BRINK!" Cheered the trio.

* * *

Meanwhile, Ash was having a ball watching Serena flailing around at Zubats that weren't even there. One flies by and she panics as if she's surrounded.

"Easy there," Ash said, grabbing Serena's arms to prevent her from breaking her hand on a wall, "C'mon, this place isn't so bad."

"Easy for you to say," Serena shot back, "When that Zubat flew by in here...I could feel a thousand screams of pure rage fly by with it…"

"Yeah, this place is weird like that," Ash agreed, "But this place gets prettier the further you go in."

"What do you mean?"

"Well," Ash started, putting a hand to his chin in deep thought, "You wanna see why this place is called Mt. Moon?"

"Uh, sure."

"Pi?" Ash's trusted partner piped up as he saw something out of the corner of his eye.

Pikachu turned around from his position on Ash's shoulder to barely catch a glimpse of something pink darting behind a wall.

"Ka…" Chattered Pikachu as it tugged on Ash's shirt collar.

"Hm?" Inquired Ash, looking over to see Pikachu pointing towards a wall.

"See something?" Serena asked.

"Pi, Pika!" Nodded Pikachu, who jumped off of his perch to pursue the pink creature but stopped momentarily to turn back to Ash and Serena to call for them to follow before running off once more.

"Well, you heard the 'mon!" Ash said with a grin and gave chase, opting Serena to do the same.

"Pikaaa!" Pikachu called out to the pink thing he was pursuing. Though, he didn't actually expect it to stop, resulting in the two of them colliding and rolling into a heap before the pink creature hit its head on a rock, resulting in Pikachu being sent flying into a nearby bush.

"Hey, Pikachu!" Ash shouted, running into the open area.

"Wait up, guys!" Pleaded Serena, still running up the stairs.

"Piii!" Pikachu replied, jumping out of the bush to meet his friends.

"Fair?" A voice piped up, stopping Pikachu and Ash in their tracks to stare at it.

A small, plump pink Pokemon with tiny wings stared at the trainer and Pokemon with its head tilted.

"Wow, a Clefairy!" Serena chirped from the caved path behind her.

"Fairy!" The pink Pokemon exclaimed happily at hearing Serena's excitement of seeing it.

"No, wait!" A high-pitched, nasaly-sounding voice cried out, "Don't touch that Pokemon!"

The four turned their attention skyward where a mysterious figure cloaked in shadow was seen standing on the edge of the small opening's ridge, the moon's light obscuring the figure from being seen. Suddenly, the figure jumped from their perch with a battle cry.

"I will protect you, Clefairy! HAAAAA-gurgh…! ...GAAAAAAAAAAH!"

The figure crashed onto the ground in a heap, kicking up dust that forced the four onlookers to close their eyes and cough to rid their lungs of the tiny dust specs.

Ash was about to give this person a piece of his mind when he saw something...odd from within the debris. The figure from earlier was a slim man in a lab coat who was currently muttering inaudibly and hugging himself while rolling around on the ground.

"Uhh," Serena said with concern, "Are you okay, mister?"

"Gah!" The man suddenly exclaimed, stopping in his tracks to spring onto his unsteady feet to sprint over to Serena, "Never call me "Mister!" "

The man posed illustriously, "I am the great Seymour! Seymour the Scientist! I am a man of science, aiming to discover what lies in the vastness of our beautiful universe!"

The man didn't give Serena the chance to apologise before crouching into another pose, "Knowledge! Research!"

The unsteady scientist sprang up once more, pointing his finger skyward, "I AM SEYMOUR THE SCIENTIST!"

"Well, have fun with that," Ash nonchalantly said, beginning to walk back the way he and Serena came.

"No, wait!" Seymour urged, "I won't let you hurt the Clefairy or the Moon Stone!"

"Moon Stone?" Serena asked, looking up to the sky, "Wait, it's already night?!"

"Yep," Replied Ash, ignoring the fuming Scientist, "This place is called Mt. _Moon_ for a reason. It's baffled scientists for ages why it's seemingly always night here, but they've since given up."

"WRONG!" Seymour shouted into Ash's ear, "For I have spent ages asking that very question; I have spent years dedicating myself to finding the secrets of Mt. Moon!"

"Cool," Commented Ash, "So what have you come up with?"

Seymour the Scientist drooped his body, "Well, umm…"

"You don't have anything, do you?" Serena asked.

"Well... no," Seymour admitted, "But I have a very good reason for putting it off!"

Seymour pointed to Clefairy, "For you see, I am currently researching something of much greater interest! I am researching the very existence of life itself on our planet! I have a firm belief that Pokemon came from outer space millions of years ago to evolve in a different way than what we are used to seeing, becoming humans!"

"That's amazing!" Exclaimed Serena, clapping her hands together.

"Yeah, it sounds...familiar…" Contemplated Ash.

"Ah," Started Seymour, "So you aren't as unaware of my scientific genius as I thought."

"Hey, Seymour, was it?" Ash asked, "Have we met before?"

"An odd question," Said Seymour, scanning the young trainer, "Hmm...it might not be unplausible, though."

Seymour closed his eyes in deep thought, "Hmm, yes yes...I remember you two…"

The scientist's eyes lit up and he pointed an accusing finger in Ash's face, "Yes, I remember you two! You're those Team Rocket thugs who tried to steal the Moon Stone all those years ago! I knew there was something fishy about you! Well if you think I'll just hand it over, you've got another thing coming!"

"Team Rocket?" Serena asked, "Those creeps have been bugging you too?"

Ash nodded, further ignoring Seymour, "Yeah, those guys have been following me for years. It wouldn't surprise me that they would've done something here as well."

"Would you quit ignoring me?!" Fumed Seymour, "I, the Great Scientist Seymour, will not let you persist in your evil deeds any longer!"

"We're not in Team Rocket!" Countered Serena, "We fight those guys all the time!"

"Yeah, right!" Seymour scoffed incredulously, "If you're not Team Rocket, then who is?"

"They're not Team Rocket, that much is true!" A feminine voice said from above.

"Who's that?!" Demanded Seymour, looking around frantically.

"But if they're not Team Rocket, who is it hmm?" A masculine voice echoed back.

"Right on cue," Ash said with a sigh.

"Well, gee, I think I know who!" A heavily accented voice finished.

Serena facepalmed, "It's them, isn't it?"

"Mm-hmm." Ash answered solemnly

Three figures jumped out of a nearby tree, their backs turned to the other group.

"Prepare for trouble." Warned a woman with long, pointed dark pink hair and a white half-shirt that exposed her lower chest. She also sported long, white pants to match.

"And make it double." A man with short, dark blue hair with a matching white suit, though he had a full shirt, warned as well.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all people within our nation!"

"To denounce all evils with truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

The woman turned around, a dark smirk showing on her face as she put her hands on her hips. A giant red "R" could be seen in her shirt, "Jessie!"

Her partner turned around as well with a smirk and an "R" of his own, "James!"

A bipedal white cat with a large coin on its head hopped over the two and pointed its claws menacingly at Ash's group, "Meowth, that's right!"

"WOOOOBUFFET!" Cried a tall, blue Pokemon as it erupted from Jessie's pocket.

"Mime, Mime!" A tiny, Pink Pokemon with a clown nose and an odd-looking hat chirped in as well.

"Hey!" Screeched Jessie, "Did I say you could come out now?!"

"You too, Mime Jr., show some restraint!" James chided.

"Here we go again," Ash stated with a groan.

"Wait!" Cried Seymour, jumping in between the two groups, "If you guys are Team Rocket, then who are you?"

"We're just some passing trainers," Serena stated, "That's what I was trying to tell you!"

James suddenly sprung over to Serena, holding his arms out as if to block her from running.

"Passing?" Asked James coyly, "Nobody's passing here until you twerps give us your Pokemon!"

"Indeed!" Jessie agreed, following her partner's actions with Ash.

Meowth took it upon himself to corner Seymour with his sharpened claws, "That includes you, chump!"

"Go, Seviper!"

"Go, Carnivine!"

The two Team Rocket members threw out two Pokeballs of their own, revealing a large, black snake with a blade-like tail, giant fangs, and a gold marking on its forehead. Out from the other Pokeball came a venus flytrap-looking Pokemon with hundreds of green and red tendrils for a lower body.

" _Viiipeeerr!_ "

" _CarniVIIINE!"_

Ash shrugged, "Might as well just get this over with. Go, Noivern!"

"NO, WAIT!" Seymour cried, scrambling over to Ash to prevent him from throwing the Pokeball, "You can't let a Noivern out here! The decibels of a Pokemon like that would capsize the entire cave!"

Ash sighed, but complied with the scientist's demands.

"You have a point there. How about you, Pikachu?"

"Pii!" Ash's partner enthusiastically agreed, hopping over to face the giant snake and crackling its cheeks threateningly.

Serena was about to throw out a Pokemon of her own when the Clefairy from earlier came bounding over to face the Carnivine.

"Huh?" Asked Serena, "You want to fight?"

"Fair!" The pudgy, pink Pokemon answered, turning to Serena with a nod.

"Awesome!" Exclaimed Serena, "Now, what moves do you have?"

Serena pulled out her pink Pokedex to scan the Clefairy.

" _Clefairy. The Fairy Pokemon. Clefairy-_ "

"Actually, I just wanted to learn its moveset," Serena interrupted.

" _This Clefairy knows the moves Wish, Dazzling Gleam, Double Slap, and Metronome_."

"Not bad," Serena complimented while putting away her Pokedex, earning a delighted grin from Clefairy.

"J-just what do you want?" Asked Seymour, cowering away from the approaching Meowth.

"We're here for the twerp's Pokemon, of course!" Replied Meowth, "What else?"

"You mean you're not here for the Moon Stone?" Seymour blurted out, covering his mouth once he realised what he just said.

"The Moon Stone, eh?" Meowth contemplated, "That...sounds familiar."

"Nope!" Seymour frantically denied, "No Moon Stone here! It blew up, remember?"

"Oh no ya don't!" Meowth countered, "I heard dat! What's dis Moon Stone ting you're talkin' about?"

"W-what?" Seymour asked, "You don't remember?"

"Nope," Meowth answered, "Why, should I?"

"YOU FORGOT?!" Seymour bellowed, "You three thugs desecrated the lives of every Pokemon living in these caves for the Moon Stone, and you _FORGOT_?!"

Meowth put a paw to his chin in thought, "Well gee, we do these tings so often, we kinda forget some of our evil schemes from time ta time."

"You can't be serious…" Seymour borderline pleaded in disbelief.

"Enough stallin'!" Meowth shot back, "Now tell us where dat Moon Stone is or else!"

"NEVER!"

"Alright, twerpette," James threatened, "Carnevine, use Seed Bomb, on the double!"

"Clefairy, use Double Slap to send them back!" Serena countered.

The flytrap Pokemon puffed out its chest, intaking a large sum of air to spit out a flurry of glowing orange seeds at the pudgy Clefairy, only for the Fairy Pokemon to literally _slap_ the them away at a blinding speed, making it look like Clefairy had a moving pink wall in front of it.

"Hey, that's not fair!" Complained James, "My Pokemon doesn't have hands!"

"Clefairy, use Dazzling Gleam!" Ordered Serena

"Oh, you're just going to ignore me now?!"

Clefairy bundled itself into a ball and began glowing an iridescent pink.

"Oh no you don't!" Cried James, "Carnivine, use Solarbeam!"

" _VIIIIINE!_ " Screeched Carnivine, glaring at its target intensely until suddenly it drooped its posture and turned to its trainer, smiling apologetically and rubbing its leafy arm on the back of its head.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU DON'T KNOW SOLARBEAM?!" James demanded, stomping his feet.

" _FAAAAAAAAAIIIIRRR!"_

"AAAAAIIIIIIIEEEEEE!"

" _VIIIIIIIINE!_ "

"It's been a while, twerp," Hissed Jessie, "But this time, we've come prepared!"

"Okay," Ash said, "Go for it."

"Erm," Jessie fidgeted, "What?"

"Go for it," Ash repeated, "You're prepared, right? Have at it."

"Uuhhhh…" Jessie procrastinated, looking around until she spotted James and Carnivine imprinted in the wall upside-down.

"James, what are you doing?!"

"Well, I guess you could say I met the light of my life!" James replied with a dumb grin.

Jessie was about to make a snide remark when she caught the twerp out of the corner of her eyes tapping his foot impatiently.

"Hey, don't you have that attitude with me!" Jessie snapped, "Meowth, get over here!"

"Huh?" Asked Meowth, still cornering Seymour to interrogate him about the Moon Stone, "Cool yer jets, Jess, I'm doin' my own thing here!"

"WAS I ASKING A QUESTION, MEOWTH?!" Jessie bellowed.

"AAH!" Meowth cowered, "Okay, okay!"

Meowth quickly rushed over to meet Jessie and the twerp, releasing his claws threateningly, "Alright, twoip, prepare to face the deadly claws of Meowth!"

"That's better," Said Jessie, "Seviper, Poison Fang! Meowth, Fury Swipes!"

Seviper launched itself with a hiss at Pikachu, its long fangs glowing a deadly hue of purple. Meowth elongated his claws and lept above Pikachu, readying to pounce.

"Thunderbolt!"

Seviper was blasted back in a heap by a quick jolt of Pikachu's electricity, resulting in Seviper crashing into a nearby wall.

"GAAAAH!" Meowth exclaimed in fear as he witnessed the fate of his comrade.

"Iron Tail!"

Meowth erupted into a scream as he saw with widened eyes as his adversary lept skyward towards Meowth and delivered a backflipping Iron Tail to his chest that sent him flying off into the unknown with a ding as the sky flashed for a split second where he once was.

"Meowth!" Jessie shouted, "You're not supposed to blast off without us!"

"I can help with that!" Serena offered, "Clefairy, use Metronome!"

"Fair!" Clefairy exclaimed with a nod.

The fairy Pokemon looked Jessie dead in the eye and pointed its fingers upward, tilting itself back and forth much like the attack's name implied. For whatever reason, Jessie couldn't help but follow the action. James and Carnivine began tilting their heads, seeing as the rest of their bodies were currently incapacitated in rock.

"Why does this…" Jessie started.

"Seem familiar?" Finished James.

Finally, Clefairy stopped tilting back and forth and it pumped its fingers into the air.

"Fair!" It cheered.

Jessie yelped as a blue light overtook her and lifted her into the air. James and Carnivine followed suit.

"Clefairy's using Psychic!" Seymour exclaimed in awe.

"Awesome!" Ash complimented.

"Hmm?" Serena noticed Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. still present, cowering by Seviper's unconscious body.

Soon, Wobbuffet and Mime Jr. noticed that Serena had a gleaming eye aimed in her direction and the two of them began pleading, urgently shaking their heads and waving their hands left and right.

"I think you forgot someone," Serena pointed out to Clefairy, directing her index finger towards the three remaining Pokemon.

"WAAAAH! WAAAAH! WAAAAAHBUFFEEEETT!" Cried Wobbuffet pleadingly.

"Miiime! Mime, Mime, Miiiime!" Mime Jr. Followed suit.

"You know what to do, Clefairy." Serena urged with a grin.

"Fair!" Clefairy nodded, tossing the group far into the skies above.

"Well," Started James, "I guess we weren't dressed for success, Jess!"

"This is a mess," Jessie complained.

"Well, there's no time like the present!" James offered.

"I guess you're right."

" _WE'RE BLASTING OFF AGAAAAAIIINN!"_

" _WOOOOOBBUFFEEEEET!"_

 _ **DIIING**_

"Well," Ash said, observing the flash of light that followed Team Rocket's departure, his trusty Pikachu hopping on his shoulder, "That's that."

"Hmm," Contemplated Seymour as he gazed upon Ash and his Pikachu. Now that he thought about it, he _did_ look familiar. His eyes snapped wide when his vision blurred and where the proud boy stood was suddenly replaced with a shorter version of him with a pudgier Pikachu on his shoulder. He wiped his glasses in surprise, not believing what he was seeing. When his glasses were returned to their normal spot, the taller boy and sleeker Pikachu were back in the other one's place once more.

Serena was observing the shining phenomenon above as well when Clefairy pulled her skirt to get her attention, pointing down one of the many cavern entrances that surrounded them.

"You want me to follow you?"

The Clefairy nodded and ran off into the cavern it was pointing to. Serena quickly took off after the Fairy Pokemon, urging Ash to follow. Seymour was still in a daze when he snapped back to reality to see the others had already taken off.

"W-wait for me!" The scientist pleaded, running after the two young trainers.

After a few minutes of sprinting, the group stopped in their tracks to behold another opening in the mountainside with a colossal pitch-black rock on a pedestal.

"So that's the Moon Stone," Ash commented in awe.

"It's beautiful!" Serena exclaimed.

"Indeed it is," Seymour proudly agreed after having caught up to the group, "I hold a firm belief that ancient Pokemon used to use these as ships to arrive here."

"Faaaaaiiiiirrrr!" Clefairy called out in a singsong voice.

Out from bushes, trees, and other caverns came dozens more Clefairy who ran up to greet their friend. After a moment of catching up, the group of Clefairy's began dancing around the giant stone, acting as if they were using Metronome once more whilst spinning in circles around the Moon Stone in synchronization before ending the dance by pointing their fingers to the sky and turning away from the stone.

"Fair!" They all chanted in unison as they pointed their fingers skyward.

The group had to cover their eyes as a bright light from overhead nearly blinded them. A giant beam of white seemingly erupted from the moon, impacting the stone to make it glow a bright white and shattering the Moon Stone.

"Oh no!" Serena cried out.

"No," Seymour interjected, "This means the ritual is complete!"

"What ritual?" Asked Ash.

"Why, the Moon Ritual of Evolution, of course!" Replied Seymour with a massive grin, "Every year, a Moon Stone crashes in one of these openings, and the year after that, the Clefairy summon a great power from the Moon itself to shatter the stone so that its power can be unleashed and they can evolve into Clefable!"

Indeed, the remains of the Moon Stone showered the Clefairy, causing them all the glow a brilliant white hue and their bodies began shifting. Where the group of Clefairys once stood, in their place were taller versions of them with a single curl of hair on their foreheads and larger, more developed star-shaped wings on their backs.

"Clefable…" Ash and Serena said in awe.

"Fay! Fable!" One of the Clefable cried out, inching its way through the crowd of its kind to make its way to Ash's group.

"Hey, are you the same Clefairy from before?" Serena asked, to which the Clefable nodded and pointed to Serena's belt.

"Fay! Fable!"

Serena smiled and bent down to embrace the pink Pokemon, "Welcome to the team then,"

Clefable happily returned the embrace as it disappeared in a flash of red into its new Pokeball, leaving Serena to stand proudly holding her new friend.

"I caught," She began proudly, raising the Pokeball to the sky, "A Clefable!"

"Nice job, Serena!" Ash congratulated.

"Indeed, congrats are in order," Seymour said, "Now, you want to get to Cerulean, right?"

"Yeah, how'd ya know?" Ash asked.

Seymour grinned, "Call it an intuition. Now, let's get you two on your way. I know this place like the back of my hand!"

As the two trainers exited Mt. Moon, they turned back to wave a thanks to Seymour for his help, only to be pleasantly surprised to see the whole Clefable population from earlier waving a goodbye as well. Clefable hopped out of its new Pokeball to wave back to its friends as well.

Minutes later, Serena's eyes suddenly lit up and she ran to the cliffside to witness Cerulean City's beautiful lighting in the night.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed, "It's beautiful!"

"Sure is," Ash agreed.

"Pi, Pikachu!" Ash's partner chirped.

"C'mon," Ash motioned, "It's late out, so we'd better get to the Pokemon Center."

"Uh, Right!" Serena fumbled, running to catch up to the young boy.

As the two entered the Pokemon Center, they were welcomed with a very inviting sight. The place was darkened for the night as to let the trainers and Pokemon sleep easy. The place wasn't nearly as full as they'd imagine it'd be, so it wasn't too hard for them to find a place to lie down. Before they knew it, their eyes slowly closed and welcomed sleep's embrace.

* * *

Ash's eyes opened violently as he felt intense heat surround him. His vision was incredibly woozy, and it was hard for him to even stand. As he looked around, his vision blinking in and out, he could make out houses and...fire?! Ash tried to run to one of the flaming buildings, only to find that his legs would not respond. He tried to cough as smoke engulfed him, yet his mouth would not open. What...what was happening?!

Ash stood agape and horrified as he gazed upwards to watch as hundreds of Pokemon raining down from the skies before being engulfed in the flames midair. His attention snapped to his left where one of the burning houses finally collapsed. He could make out muffled voices from inside. He tried everything he could to move his legs, anything to force them to move, yet still they disobeyed.

"ASH!" A familiar voice called to him.

Ash desperately looked around for the source of the voice, finally landing his sight on a familiar figure in red racing through the flames toward him. It was Serena!

"Serena!" Ash wanted to call out, yet still his mouth refused to open.

"AAASH!" Serena continued to cry out.

Ash gaped as streaks of shadows slithered in from seemingly all directions, racing around his feet to meet directly in front of him. An angular, pitch-black figure rose from the ground where the shadows met, its red eyes piercing Ash's very soul with dread. Ash could have sworn it was smirking darkly despite the creature having no visible facial features outside of its eyes. Wordlessly, the creature turned its sight on the approaching Serena, extending a shadowed hand towards her.

Before Ash could even hope to react, a wall of white manifested in front of the shadowy creature, engulfing Serena completely. Ash swore he heard something of a muffled scream amidst the white. He wanted to rush to the creature: to demand what it was and why it was committing such an atrocity; to force it to respond to his rage, yet still he was completely paralyzed. When the cloud of smoke in front of him began dispersing, Ash could see the creature had disappeared along with it. But suddenly, a tiny, red light appeared from the remaining smoke, inching its way toward him. Finally, another shadowed figure appeared from within the smoke, though this one looked almost human. It had a cigar firmly placed in its mouth and a dark white trench coat. A bright, white grin appeared on the thing's face, yet Ash still couldn't see the rest of its face. A dark chuckle seemingly manifested from every direction as the creature grinned and slowly pulled out something metallic-looking from a pocket in its coat.

" _ **YoU fOoL.**_ " The creature spoke out from every conceivable direction, " _ **YoU hAvE fAiLed**_. _**ThE lEgEnDs HaVe fAiLed. ThEy WeRe FoOlS tO cHoOsE yOu As ThEiR sAvIoR**_."

"Savior? What are you talking about?! Why are you doing this?!" Ash wanted to scream, yet his mouth refused to open.

The creature's chuckles turned to psychotic cackling, " _ **dId YoU hOnEsTlY tHiNk YoU cOuLd SAVE tHeM?! yOu CoUlD nEvEr SaVe ThEm, No MaTtEr HoW mUcH pOwEr YoU tHiNk YoU hAvE**_ _."_

Ash heard a click, " _ **ThIs WoRlD sHaLl ReMeMbEr ThE mAn WhO sLaYeD tHe LeGeNdS tHeMsElVeS! tHe FoRcEs Of ThE uNiVeRsE bEnD tO MY WILL!**_ "

"Why?!" Ash attempted to scream out, to no success, "Why are you doing this?!"

To Ash's surprise, the man chuckled once more and shook his head, as if he knew what Ash wanted to say.

" _ **It's just business**_."

A loud bang reverberated throughout the burning land.

* * *

Ash woke up gasping intensely in a cold sweat, desperately looking around the dark area he was in and accidentally waking up his partner. He could have sworn he saw something blue glowing on his hands for a split second before it disappeared.

"Pi?" Pikachu asked with tired eyes.

"Pikachu!" Ash exclaimed, embracing his confused partner.

"Wait, where's Serena?!" Ash demanded in a panic.

Raising an eyebrow, Pikachu pointed to a nearby bench where the blonde was sleeping contently, earning a relieved sigh from Ash.

"Phew," Ash sighed, "Sorry, Pikachu. I just had one heck of a nightmare."

But Pikachu had already fallen asleep. With a tired sigh, Ash managed to let out a smile and got up to welcome the rising sun. It wasn't like he'd be getting any more sleep.

* * *

Author's Note!

Creator- I think it's safe to say this is by far the best chapter yet. The death of Looker and the greatest fight yet, along with the introduction of Team Rocket! ...and...that last thing...yeaaahh, that'll be important later.

Hydra- We wrote this chapter so fast that I'm surprised it took us only a week to upload, at the rate we're going you can probably expect more chapters coming out every week, but don't worry the longest it will ever take us is two weeks.

Creator- Anyways, onto the reviews!

 **Amourshippingfan**

"Yeah, Ash and Serena won their first badge together and I liked how well they worked together and how Serena was able to use Ash's Pokémon and I liked how they survived Delia and all her questions and I hope Looker is okay and I hope Talonflame will get better and learn to control her powers"

Creator- ...oops…

Hydra- ...Sorry...

 **Lord Metallix**

"Did you get those lines from that guy in Mortal Kombat?"

Creator- SMBZ's Mecha Sonic, actually.

Hydra- And General Zod.

 **TeamPiperM**

"Oh crap, Zapdos and the other birds are in trouble. Love the Gym Battle and Serena's development. Also, how does Looker get around so much and where the heck was he during that whole Team Flare thing? (No seriously, he should've been there in the anime. Preferably with a Croagunk.)"

Creator- Trouble indeed, lol. Yeah, the Gym Fight took forever to write, but it was worth it. Who needs Looker when you have Clembot? ...oh wait….

Hydra- I know they should have totally made Looker more involved in the anime it was such a shame they only put him in the Sinnoh region their was so many opportunities that they had where they could've used him.

 **Johnny Spectre**

"Gotta wonder if Marshadow will appear from Ash's shadow like in the new movie"

Creator- Nah, sorry, but no Marshadow here. :(

Hydra- I talked to The Creator on how we could've implemented Marshadow when it was first announced, but it wouldn't have made any sense so we had to scrap the idea sadly.

Creator- So I was wondering, would the reviewers like it if I PM'd them when a new chapter is released? "Cause I'll do it if ya want. Anyways, please leave more Reviews. The more we get, the faster each chapter gets done. They're really big inspirations.

Hydra- Yes pleeaaaaassssseeee review because I always have to call him and try to keep him from getting distracted when writing the story that's a lot of work in itself you'd understand if you we're doing it. So I hope you enjoyed this chapter we'll continue to upload every 1-2 weeks thank you and goodbye.


	6. Chapter 6: Rain

The dark skies were nearly pitch black, though the storm, both figuratively and literally, had already come and passed. The Ultra-Beast Lord, Necrozma, was soaring throughout the night skies, content with his earlier work when one of his crystals began glowing and darkening repeatedly. Once Necrozma tapped it with his finger, Necrozma's right-hand man, his main scientist Xurkitree, appeared on a screen-like projection being displayed over his crystal.

"Milord," Xurkitree said with a bow, "Your partner is ...requesting to speak with you over transmission."

" _ **Send him over**_ ," Necrozma ordered.

With a nodding bow, Necrozma's right-hand man let out a few small electrical bolts onto his keyboard and soon enough, Xurkitree disappeared with The Man in his place.

"What did you do?!" The Man demanded, "You weren't supposed to arrive for weeks, yet you abandon your fleet to arrive before my preparations were completed, and the first thing you do when you arrive is fight four Legendary Pokemon and sink an entire Sub-Region?!"

" _ **What time I arrive makes no difference on how this planet is inconsequential to our plans.**_ "

"Inconsequential?!" The Man bellowed, "You've alerted the entire planet! You're lucky the Legends you've fought are dead and I had Commander L- ...my commander nearby to rally the people with a story, otherwise Arceus himself would be on our tail by now!"

" _ **Calm yourself, partner**_ ," Necrozma said, " _ **It is unbecoming of one of your...power, correct?**_ "

"Do not insult me, Necrozma," The Man spat, "I have more power than you can fathom."

Necrozma chuckled, " _ **I'm sure, I'm sure. It's just difficult for me to believe you hold this power, yet rely on**_ **me** _ **for assistance**_."

Necrozma raised a hypothetical eyebrow when The Man simply chuckled.

"You hold a very... _integral_ role to our plans, partner."

" _ **Ominous**_ ," Necrozma complimented, " _ **I can respect that**_."

"In any case," The Man stated, "You cannot go off and destroy whatever you feel like anymore. Remember, diligence is of the-"

" _ **Utmost importance, yes I know**_. _**Though, I can hardly help myself when I get bored, you know.**_ "

"You can and you _will_ help yourself, Necrozma. I will not stand for you ruining this whole operation simply because you feel fidgety in your little wooden chair for now. If this is to succeed, you cannot do whatever you feel like simply on a whim!"

" _ **Is that an order?**_ "

"It is."

Necrozma let out a dark, machine-like laugh, " _ **Perhaps I am not the only one who needs to control themselves. Watch yourself,**_ **partner** _ **. I could wipe out this entire planet without batting a hypothetical eyelash if I so felt.**_ "

"By all means. Arceus would have your head on a platter before you could try if you summoned that much energy."

" _ **And where would that leave you?**_ _**Alone and without your firepower**_."

"I could manage. You being here only makes it easier on my part. And besides, without me, how will you find those three that you're after?"

" _ **...You make a fair point**_ ," Admitted Necrozma, " _ **Yet still, I would advise against further provocation, else I might be content on simply destroying this planet and taking them out with it without crushing them beforehand**_."

"You and I both know you won't be content with just that. Remember who is truly in control here."

Before Necrozma could respond, The Man cut off the connection, sending the projector screen back into Necrozma's crystal.

" _ **...I will look forward to seeing him in utter despair once I end this planet once and for all**_."

* * *

Serena let out a loud yawn as she slowly opened her eyes once the sun had shone through one of the Center's windows onto her sleeping eyes. The young girl raised her arms in a stretch, loosening her tensed muscles and letting out a relaxed sigh once she had finished. Looking to her side, she noticed Ash had disappeared from where he once slept.

"Pikachu, do you know where Ash went?" Serena asked the mouse beside her.

"Pi, Pika, Pi." Pikachu responded, pointing towards the Pokemon Center's main doorway.

Serena rubbed Pikachu's head in thanks, earning a purr-like "chaa" from the mouse, and headed out to hopefully meet her companion. She rubbed her tired eyes as they were assaulted by the bright sunlight, blinking repeatedly to attempt to adjust her eyes to the blinding light.

"Ash?" She asked into the open air, still blinded by the intense sunlight.

"Oh, Serena!" A voice rang out to her left, "You're up early."

Serena finally opted to cup a hand over her eyes to cover them with whatever shade they could manage. Finally, she could make out Ash hunched over his backpack and messing with his belt of Pokeballs.

"What are you doing out here so early?" Serena inquired, "You usually sleep in."

"Guess I'm just excited for our Gym Battle," Ash said with a shaky laugh.

Serena frowned, "You okay, Ash? You don't sound good…"

"I'm fine, Serena," Ash said nonchalantly, but Serena didn't buy it.

"I can tell when you're not okay," Serena scolded, sitting down next to Ash, "Please, tell me what's bothering you. I haven't seen you this distraught over something."

Ash sighed, pausing for a moment to phrase his next words, "You got me...the thing is Serena, I'm scared about what the future may hold. I just have a feeling something very bad is about to happen."

Serena was taken aback, "What?! When did this start?"

"Last night," Ash replied, "I remember...I remember having a horrible, vivid nightmare last night. The thing is...I can't even remember what it was about now...just that it happened."

Serena looked down, seemingly in deep thought before reaching out to put her hand over Ash's.

"If you can't remember it, you probably shouldn't worry about it. I remember you telling me after my failure of my first performance to not worry about what the future holds. You told me to take life as it came and not to let my worries cloud my life, remember?"

Ash took a seat on the ground, "I know, but it felt different, Serena, not like some random dream you have once in awhile...No, it felt like someone or something was trying to show me something."

Ash leaned over and buried his face in hands, "I don't want anything to happen to you, Serena. If something were to happen I don't think I could forgive myself..."

Serena tenderly put an arm around Ash and leaned her head onto his shoulder.

"Ash," She started, "If something happened to me, my last dying wish would be for you to not let that hold you back from living a happy life."

Ash let out a long, drawn-out sigh, "You're right. I shouldn't let my fears consume my life."

Serena let out a yelp as Ash jumped up onto his feet and knocked her to the ground unintentionally.

"That's right!" Ash cried, "I can't give up on my dream of becoming a Pokémon Master because of some nightmare! C'mon, Serena, let's head to the Cerulean City Gym!"

"Ash!" Serena complained as she watched her companion sprint off, "Pikachu and my stuff are still in the Pokémon Center!"

"Oh, whoops, that's right!" Ash exclaimed, turning on his heel to run past Serena and into the Pokemon Center.

Serena sighed at Ash's hopelessness, but couldn't help cracking a smile at his antics. Though, she supposed those antics were why she fell in love with him. She loved how he could bounce back from anything with ease.

"Hey, Ash!" She called out, running back to the Pokemon Center, "Wait for meee!"

* * *

"You seem in a good mood despite what happened earlier," Serena commented with a bright smile, "What's up?"

Ash let out a small chuckle, "I just remembered an old friend of mine. You'll met her soon enough."

"Oh really?" Serena asked, "...Wait, "her"?"

"Here we are!" Ash announced, motioning towards a large building with a picture of a Dewgong on the front of its roof, "The Cerulean City Gym!"

"W-wait!" Serena pleaded as Ash sprinted towards the Gym, "What do you mean "Her"?"

"Hey, Misty!" Ash shouted into the Gym as he burst through the double doors.

Ash's grin began to die down as he scanned the lobby before him. Just as he remembered, fish tanks lined the walls, pink tiles lined the floor, and another set of double double doors stood in front of there were no people in sight, for whatever reason. Last Ash checked, this Gym in particular was the most famous of them all, only being rivaled by Celadon's. Assuming the place was simply closed or something, Ash dropped his shoulders and disappointment and was about to call out to the approaching Serena that it was a no-go on the Gym when Pikachu's ears perked up.

"Pi?" The mouse inquired to no one in particular.

Pikachu turned his attention back to the pink double doors in the Gym's lobby. The Electric Mouse could have sworn he heard something from behind those doors. Pikachu hopped off his trainer's shoulder to investigate, pointing his ears into the doors to attempt to locate the source of the noise.

"Pikachu?" Ash asked, "What's up, buddy?"

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cried out, pointing to the pink doors.

"Huh? Is it open?"

"Aaaaash!" Serena cried out, finally managing to catch up to the boy only to let out a yelp as she slipped and faceplanted on the Gym's floor.

"Woah there," Ash said with a chuckle he couldn't hold back, "You okay?"

His response was an annoyed grumble, earning another chuckle.

"Alright, c'mere," Ash said, hoisting Serena to her feet.

Serena let out a groan as she stretched out her back before turning to Ash with an annoyed expression on her face.

"Please stop running on without me." Serena chided. Ash simply gave her a nervous grin, rubbing the back of his head.

Serena rolled her eyes and turned around look at the infrastructure of the Gym.

"By the way," Serena began, glancing over the numerous fish tanks coating the walls, "You referred to this Gym Leader as "Her". Were you two close?"

"Yeah, kinda," Ash replied, "Her name's Misty. Me, her, and the son of Flint, Brock, travelled through Kanto together! Johto, too, though she had to take over the Gym for her sisters since they went on to be dancers or something like that.'

"Dancers?" Serena inquired, "Like performers?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, though it's probably for the best that they quit the Gym. From what I remember, they weren't great battl-"

"We should go see them!" Serena exclaimed, springing herself in Ash's face.

Ash chuckled at her eagerness, "Sure, I guess we can look around."

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu protested, pointing at the pink doors, but his trainer and Serena had already began wandering off.

"Pii…" Pikachu growled, annoyed.

Pikachu sprinted up past his trainer and turned his heel into the floor to stop himself, widening his arms to stop the two.

"Pii, Pika!" Pikachu cried, pointing back to the doors.

"Huh?" Ash asked, turning around to look at whatever Pikachu was pointing at, but only saw the empty hallway.

"There's nothing there, Pikachu."

In frustration, Pikachu tugged down on his own ears before firmly pointing back to the doors once more.

"Pi! Pika, CHU!"

"Pikachu," Serena started, "There's nothing over there. What do you want us to see?"

Pikachu's eye twitched and he crackled his cheeks, stonewalled with frustration. That's it, these two were going to get shocked if that's what it took to get their attention.

" _CHUUUUUUU!_ "

"GAAAAAH!"

"WAAAAUGH!"

"P-point taken," The two blathered out as they collapsed.

"Pi." Pikachu said smugly, crossing his arms and nodding.

"So," Ash said as he stood in front of the pink double doors, "What's this about?"

Pikachu facepalmed and made a pulling motion before pointing to the handle of the door.

"Oh!" Serena caught on, "You wanted us to go through here?"

"Piii!" Pikachu cried with exasperation, furiously nodding.

"Well, okay…"

Serena tentatively pulled the handle, expecting it to be locked only for it to actually open a tad to her surprise. She began opening it further, only for the three of them to be deafened by the loud cheers of hundreds.

"Gah!" Serena cried out, clutching her pained ears.

"I think we found who you're looking for, Serena!" Ash shouted over the roaring crowd.

Serena sent him a look that practically said, "Ya think?" before walking through the doors.

Ash gave Pikachu a shrug and a grin before heading inside himself. Pikachu simply sighed and trotted after them.

Once the three were inside, Serena gaped at the sight before her. A large circle of bleachers surrounded a giant pool filled to the brim with gracefully dancing Water-Type Pokemon. She could make out three other figures in the water. Squinting her eyes, Serena could see the figures were three absolutely stunning women. One of them was blonde, one of them had bright pink hair, and the final one had a deep blue coloring to her hair.

"Huh?" Ash asked while looking around the pool, "I don't see Misty anywhere."

Though, Serena was far too enthralled with the three performers below to notice what Ash was saying. Her eyes practically glittered watching the three Water Trainers practically gliding throughout the water with their Pokemon, hopping to and fro as their Pokemon lifted them above the pool so that they could perform spins and flips before diving back into the water to repeat the process. Before she knew it, Serena found herself cheering along with the rest of the crowd, earning an amused chuckle from Ash.

"She's certainly having fun, eh buddy?" Ash asked his partner who had hopped onto his shoulder once more.

"Pi!" Pikachu chirped in agreement.

The blonde one was raised out of the water standing atop a slowly spinning Starmie.

"And now, for our grande finale!" She spoke to the crowd, "Please welcome our little sister, the Cerulean City Gym Leader Misty, to the stage!"

Ash and Pikachu perked up at this and Serena snapped out of her stupor, unable to keep her expression from dropping ever so slightly..

The Starmie floated away, signaling the rest of the Water Pokemon and the other two girls to swim to the edges of the pool. Suddenly, bubbles began appearing from the middle of pool. The crowd sat on the edge of their seats in anticipation for whatever was coming next. Nobody dared blink or even breathe as they waited with baited breath. Suddenly, a giant jet of water erupted skyward, making a large water spout that rained down onto the once more cheering fans in the bleachers. A figure blurred by the water shot upwards out from the spout and gracefully flipped backwards in the air before landing on top of the water stream, extending their arms outward for the crowd to see. Though, the audience didn't even have time to cheer as a loud roar deafened the audience. The water spout stopped abruptly and a massive Gyarados bolted from its place, rising up speedily to Misty with its jaws agape. Ash let out a gasp and Serena covered her eyes in horror. Though, their fears were for naught when Misty fell and latched onto the large protrusion on Gyarados's head and rode the falling creature down back into the pool with a shimmering grin plastered on her face.

Serena and the rest of the audience let out gasps as a large wall of water rocketed towards them from the Gyarados's splash. She let out a screech as the wall impacted and drenched her from head to toe, while Ash just let out an amused laugh despite being in the same situation.

"Leeeeet's hear it for our beautiful Mistyyy!" The blonde one summoned, waving her arms upward repeatedly to get a response from the crowd.

The crowd jumped to their feet roaring loudly, pumping their arms up and screaming loudly. Even Serena couldn't help doing the same. Ash and Pikachu, meanwhile, were jumping and cheering loudly; so loudly in fact that he began drowning out the other members of the audience to the point where he was earning a few odd looks.

The pink-haired one floated up atop a Staryu in a similar fashion and spoke up, "Don't forget to buy our Sensational Sister Merchandise in the lobby on your way out!"

The blue-haired one followed suit, "And a trip to the Cerulean Gym is never complete without an autograph from the Sensational Sisters themselves!"

"Have a Sensational day!" The three chirped.

With one final bow, the stage lights disappeared and the crowd erupted into one final round of cheers before slowly making their way towards the exit amidst the darkening room.

"Wow!" Serena exclaimed, starry-eyed, "They were amazing! They moved in perfect sync with their Pokémon and each other like it was second-nature!"

Ash chuckled at the girl's excitement, "Ya know, those three were battlers long before they were performers."

"Wow, really?" Serena asked, "I would've guessed they were just naturals from how well they did."

"Y'know," A voice called out from behind them, "Skills like ours didn't come overnight. We practiced and trained for years on end to get where we are now."

The two trainers turned around to gaze upon a woman clad in a sky-blue open jacket with a white bathing suit underneath that didn't cover her legs in the slightest. Her hair was bright orange and it looked like it was all over the place despite being short. The bottoms were curled below her ears, the top was frilly and spiked outward at the same time, and somehow the back remained clean-cut and straight. She placed her hands on her hips and gave the two trainers before her a bright smile.

"You've gotta work everything you have into your training if you wanna be like us. Being a performer requires both the aptitude of intense training as if you were an everyday Pokémon Trainer along with the elegance and precision a performer needs."

"Wait," Serena said with her voice choking up, a squeal threatening to break out at any moment, "Are you one of the performers here?!"

The girl nodded with a chuckle, "Sure am. You're talking to the one and only Gym Leader Misty!"

Serena's face inwardly fell a little while massive grins overtook Ash and Pikachu's faces.

"Misty!" Ash exclaimed, "You look amazing! How long has it been? Johto? Maybe Hoenn."

The girl raised an eyebrow and tilted her head past the young girl she was talking to and her eyes practically turned into dinner plates at what she saw.

"Ash?!"

Misty pushed past Serena to get a good look at her childhood friend, earning a distressed cry from Serena.

"Ash!" Misty exclaimed, "And Pikachu!"

"Pika, Pi!" Pikachu cried out enthusiastically, hopping atop Misty's shoulder and nuzzling her affectionately.

"It's great to see you again!" Ash said with a smile, "Shame Brock couldn't make it to the reunion."

"Oh, right." Said Misty, "What happened to him anyways? Don't tell me he finally got arrested for all those proposals…"

Ash shook his head and smiled, "Actually, he finally found a Nurse Joy that ended up falling for him back, and now he's a happily wedded doctor."

Misty's jaw dropped, "Woah, he actually _got_ one of them?"

Ash laughed, "Yeah, it surprised me too at first. Though, the two did look a lot happier than Brock did with Professor Ivy."

Serena's ear perked as she could've sworn she heard someone scream after Ash had mentioned this Professor Ivy person. In any case, she decided now would be a good enough time to hopefully get this bad taste out of her mouth regarding Misty.

"Hey there!" Serena said, sliding in, "My name's Serena! I must say, your performance back there was one of the best I've ever seen!"

"O-oh," Misty stuttered at the intrusion, "Thank you, but my sisters are the real stars of the show."

"What?!" Serena demanded, "You were amazing out there!"

Misty shook her head, "I'm a trainer before a performer. It took my sisters years to convince me to do a performance, and now I just do it to kill time."

Misty tilted her head to see Ash again.

"By the way," She said to Serena, "Are you and Ash friends or something?"

"She's my girlfriend." Ash replied with a clueless smile.

Serena became completely pale and stiffened up in a panic. Misty stood there with her jaw practically touching the floor. She turned her gaze to the whitened Serena and then back to Ash repeatedly. Her jawline began receding into a small grin and she slapped her forehead. A fit of giggles slowly overcame her and she soon found herself flailing wildly in a fit of laughter on the floor.

"Hey!" Serena shouted, snapping out of her stupor at Misty's laughter, "What are you laughing at?!"

Misty continued laughing, struggling to get a word out, "Ash...a girlfriend…" And she once again lost herself to laughter.

Serena huffed, "Ash, say something!"

"Uhh?" Ash started, "Misty, I don't see what's so funny about it."

"Wait," Misty said from her spot on the floor, "You're not...serious, are you?"

"Yeah, what's the big deal?"

Serena let out a yelp as Misty appeared from behind her somewhere and placed her hands on her shoulders with a fake grin.

"Ash, can you...excuse us for a moment?"

Without waiting for a response, Misty quickly dragged the protesting Serena backwards into the hall and quickly darted into a nearby room, slamming the door behind them.

Ash and Pikachu simply stood there, blankfaced.

"Geez," Ash said to his trusty Pikachu, "What's her deal?"

"Pi…" Pikachu replied with a sigh.

Serena yelped as she was pinned against the wall of what she believed to be a Janitor's Office.

"How did you do it?!" Misty demanded.

"D-do what…?" Serena asked nervously.

"Get Ash to fall for you!" Misty bellowed, "I've known Ash for years; there's no way someone like him could ever get a girl, much less even try!"

Well, she was right on the trying part.

"So?" Misty prodded, "How did you get him?!"

Serena's cheeks turned pink, "I uh…" Serena muttered something Misty couldn't hear.

"...Come again?"

Serena gazed downwards, "I kinda, maybe…" Serena's voice trailed off once more."

"Speak up!"

"I KISSED HIM!"

The room was filled with silence as Misty dropped her arms in deadpanned silence as she stared, mouth agape, at Serena who was covering her reddened face by burying it in her hands and sitting firmly on the ground.

"You...you wha-"

"Please don't make me say it again!" Serena cried out, face still buried within her palms.

"I mean," Misty prodded, "Like, out of nowhere, or-"

"Of course not!" Serena bellowed, raising her face from her hands, "We journeyed through Kalos together!"

"Still," Misty said, "I did the same with both Kanto, the Orange Islands, _and_ Johto, and I spent some time with him in Hoenn, but he showed no romantic attraction to me."

Serena gave her an odd look.

"N-not that I would've wanted him to!" Misty quickly stated, waving her hands in denial.

"Well, you're right about one thing," Said Serena, "Kalos wasn't the start of it…"

* * *

" _Where is everybody?!" A young voice cried out into the wilderness, scared and alone._

 _She let out a scream as a nearby bush began rustling intensely, causing her to fall over in terror, only for a small, blue Pokemon with a swirling pattern on its white belly to hop out of the bush. It gave her a quick glance, making her recoil in fear before simply hopping off back into the woods._

" _I knew I didn't wanna come here," The young girl sobbed, "I knew it…"_

 _She raised her head skyward and wailed, "MOOOOOMMYYYY!"_

 _Her breath was sucked back in as she watched the rustling bush shake once more. Her eyes widened in terror as the bush rustled violently, refusing to show its horrible contents. Finally, something emerged out from the shrubbery and the young girl's heart simply couldn't take it. Clenching her eyes shut, the girl waited with dread for whatever would come next._

" _Poliwag?" Another young-sounding voice called out._

 _The young girl assumed it was another one of those blue things from earlier, thinking it was saying its own name as all Pokemon did. Boy was she surprised when the thing spoke normally._

" _Hey," The voice said, "Are you okay?"_

" _Huh?" The young girl questioned, daring to open her eyes to see a young boy, her age by the looks of it._

" _Hi, I'm Ash!" The boy greeted, "What's your name."_

 _The girl didn't notice his question so much as she did the fact that he was simply there._

" _I hurt...my leg!" The girl winced._

 _With a smile, Ash pulled out a blue handkerchief out from his back pocket and delicately wrapped it around the girl's injured knee, tieing it into a knot._

" _All done!" Ash said reassuringly._

 _Upon attempting to move, the girl quickly sat back down with an "ow" as she soon realised her leg wasn't actually healed._

" _Now watch this!" Ash said with a grin, moving his arms as if he were attempting to perform a spell of some sort, "Feel better, feel better right away!"_

 _The young girl quickly and painfully found out once more that she still couldn't move._

" _Still hurts, I can't stand up!"_

 _Ash simply stood up with a bright smile and offered his hand to her._

" _Don't give up 'till it's over!" He cheered, "Come on."_

 _The girl tentatively held out her hand and let out a yelp as she was pulled to her feet suddenly and into Ash's embrace. With a light gasp, she opened her eyes to stare into Ash's own, feeling that the pain had already subsided._

" _There ya go." Ash said, giving the girl a bright smile, "I think we should be getting back to the campsite. C'mon."_

 _With that, Ash led the girl to safety from the forest, holding on to her hand tightly._

* * *

"...He saved my life a long time ago…"

Misty let out a sigh, "That sure sounds like something he'd do."

Misty offered Serena her hand, pulling the Kalos trainer to her feet and offered her a smile.

"Well, if you two really love each other, don't let me stop you."

Serena brightly smiled back at the Cerulean Gym Leader, "Thanks, Misty."

The two jumped as a loud knock came from the opposite side of the door of the Janitor's Office.

"Hey!" Ash's voice called out from the other side, "You two okay in there? It's been, like, twenty minutes!"

"Pika, Piikaa!"

The Electric Mouse could be heard chirping in agreement.

Misty growled and kicked open the door, imprinting Ash and Pikachu in the wall where the door hinge ended.

"Don't mess with a woman's private business!" She roared.

"Ash!" Serena cried out worriedly to Misty's surprise, running up to the immobilized boy to check for injuries.

Misty stood in awe at Serena as, instead of being just as angry as her for his intrusion of their privacy, actually went to check if he was _alright_ , whereas she would've taunted him and scolded him for his actions without a second thought. Watching Serena express her concern over Ash despite his wrongdoing slowly put a small smile on her face. Yep...these two were meant for each other.

"Ash! Serena!" Misty called out to the two of them, "How does a match sound to the two of you? A double battle between the two of you VS me? I wanna see how well you work together!"

"Fine by me!" Ash shouted, still trapped in the wall, "We were planning on challenging you anyways! Serena and I need a Gym Badge from ya!"

"A badge?" Misty asked, raising an eyebrow, "I get you, Serena, but why do you need one, Ash?"

If Ash had free control of his movement, he would be rubbing the back of his head in an embarrassed way.

"I kinda...forgot my old Badges at my mom's house…"

Misty toppled over in disbelief with a thud.

"That's just like you, Ash…" Misty said, getting up to her feet with a hand on her forehead, "Anyways, I'll be meeting you down by the pool area. Don't keep me waiting!"

"You got it!" Ash and Serena said challengingly as Misty disappeared down the hallway.

* * *

As Ash and Serena made their way to the pink double doors in the lobby, a voice suddenly called out to them.

"Like, what are you two doing over here?" A girlish voice called out to them.

The three Sensational Sisters stood behind them, posing with their hands on their hips.

Serena gawked with sparkles in her eyes at the three, but Ash spoke before she got the chance to.

"What do you mean?" Ash asked, "We're heading to a battle with Misty."

"Like, how do you expect to get down there?" The blue-haired one, Violet, asked.

"Follow us, please," The blonde-haired one, Daisy, said with a wink, "We'll take you to your battle."

Ash and Serena suddenly found themselves forcefully shoved into a pitch-black room with the door quickly shutting behind them.

"Wha-hey!" Serena protested.

"Geez," Ash commented, "Where are we right now?"

The two let out a collective yelp as a loud, invisible voice reverberated throughout the dark room.

"Llllladiiiees and gentlemeeeeen! Welcome to the first ever Cerulean City Gym Battle Live! Never before has a Gym Battle been allowed to be viewed by the public here...UNTIL TODAY!"

Ash and Serena recoiled as bright lights appeared from overhead, blinding them momentarily due to the contrast in brightness. When they regained their vision, they jumped back as they saw a massive pool inches away from their feet. A roar shook their ears and threatened to deafen them from all sides. Desperately covering their ears, they looked around and let out a drowned-out gasp once they'd seen the source of the noise. Surrounding them from above, thousands of people sat in bleachers cheering their heads off.

"I didn't know this was gonna be a public thing!" Serena whisper-yelled to Ash, gazing upon the crowd with widened eyes.

"I didn't either," Ash protested, "But it doesn't really matter. Besides, you're gonna have to work with this stuff once you're a professional performer!"

Serena tried to soothe herself with a sigh, "I know, I know…"

"Hey!" A voice whispered to them.

Ash and Serena turned their attention to See Daisy holding a mic away from her head.

"You better be grateful about this! We had to cancel our back-to-back showing for this!"

Without giving the two time to respond, Daisy turned around, cleared her throat, and began speaking once more.

"Now, give a warm welcome to today's challengers…"

Daisy turned to the two with an apologetic smile, "Uhh, what are your names again?"

Ash and Serena nearly fell over in disbelief.

"Ash and Serena…" Serena muttered.

"Aaaash and Serenaaa!"

The crowd erupted into a roar of cheers once more.

"And on the opposite side, we have the Sensational Sister's Sensational Sister, Gym Leader Misty!"

Serena and Ash were practically blasted back by the cheers that followed.

"You ready for this?!" Misty demanded with a smirk, "Go, Corsola and Gyarados!"

A pink Pokemon with coral-like protrusions from its back appeared in the water, and the serpentine Gyarados appeared behind it with a bellowing roar. Out from the water, a bunch of small, white platforms rose.

"Say, Pikachu?" Ash asked his partner, "Still don't wanna fight Misty?"

With a smirk, Pikachu shook his head smugly and hopped off of Ash's shoulder to stand off to the side.

Ash simply chuckled at his partner's antics.

"Your loss, buddy. Guess I'll choose...Sceptile, then…Go, Sceptile!"

From his Pokeball, the cocky, green lizard appeared in a flash of white, standing tall and crossing his arms with his signature twig placed inside his mouth. Arrogantly, he threw a smirk in Gyarados's direction that earned a vicious roar in return

"So, who are you gonna chose, Serena?" Ash asked.

Serena looked over her four Pokeballs, contemplating her choice.

"Hmm…" She muttered to herself, "Braixen is weak to water, so that's a no-go. Pancham's eager for redemption, and Corsola _is_ weak against fighting, but he'd have trouble on those platforms...I don't know how able Clefable is just yet...so I guess that leaves Sylveon!"

Out from her Pokeball came the ribbon-frilled, pink and white Eeveelution who stretched and shook her fur for a few moments before realizing there was a crowd in front of her. Swiftly, Sylveon winked at the audience and posed, earning a few "awwws" here and there.

"Umm," Serena started, "Hate to burst your bubble, Sylveon, but...this isn't a performance. This is a Gym Battle."

Sylveon blinked blankly, turning to see the giant Gyarados leering down at her. A shiver ran up her spine as she gazed into the beast's eyes, but she quickly turned her sights on the small Corsola and smirked at it confidently before getting into a crouching battle position.

"Begin!" Daisy ordered over the intercom.

"Leaf Blade!" Ash ordered.

Sceptile could barely be seen bending his knees ever so slightly before seemingly blurring from existence.

"What's this?" Daisy commentated, "Sceptile disappeared!"

Gyarados's eyes squinted as it noticed a green shimmer above its head, though it was stricken from above as it attempted to look upwards.

"Now from below!"

Gyarados didn't even get to impact the water as Sceptile blinked into existence once more on one of the white platforms and delivered a devastating uppercutting Leaf Blade to the leviathan's chin.

"Gyarados, snap out of it!" Misty cried out, "Dive under and use Hyper Beam!"

Gyarados used its upward momentum to flip backwards and dive underwater, kicking up a wave of water with its tail to obstruct Sceptile's view.

"Sceptile had the upper hand before," Daisy said, "But how will it fare against an opponent it can't see?"

"Just fine!" Ash cheered, "Sceptile, you've grown really strong while I was gone, so you got this, right?"

"Tile," Sceptile responded confidently with a nod.

The arrogant, but ever-cautious lizard snapped his gaze towards a dark splotch that appeared underneath the floating white platform that Sceptile was standing on. He let out a smirk and blinked out of sight once more just before a massive orange laser incinerated the platform.

Serena, meanwhile, wasn't having much luck. Sure, Sylveon could jump from platform to platform fairly easily to avoid Corsola's attacks, but the Coral Pokémon always managed to duck down into the water out of harm's way as well. So in short, the battle was going nowhere fast. That is, until a massive orange beam shot up and engulfed one of the other platforms, sending the pool into a frenzy of waves that knocked Sylveon off her platform and into the air.

"This is our chance!" Misty rallied, "Corsola, use Pin Missile!"

The coral on Corsola's back began glowing brightly and shot out a flurry of shimmering spikes towards the helpless Sylveon.

"Fairy Wind, quick!" Serena ordered.

Sylveon puffed up her chest and released a pinkish wind to deter the Pin Missiles, but the shape of the projectiles allowed the wind to glide off of them and Sylveon soon found itself pummeled by the exploding projectiles.

"Sylveon, no!" Cried Serena as she watched her Pokémon fall from the debris.

"Oh no!" Daisy cried, "It seems that one of the challengers might be down for the count already!"

"Now let's finish this!" Misty cheered, "Corsola, use Spike Cannon and Gyarados, change targets and use Hyper Beam on Sylveon!"

Ash smirked, "Not so fast! Sceptile, rescue Sylveon and show Misty here why you should never turn your back on you with a Solarbeam!"

Corsola's back glowed once more and a white ball soon appeared growing over the pink menace, but upon firing, Sceptile blipped in front of Corsola's target and batted away the ball with a Leaf Blade into the water below onto the unsuspecting Gyarados. Unfortunately, the explosion didn't deter Gyarados into releasing its own attack and another massive orange beam soon erupted from the pool in the direction of the two falling Pokémon. Sylveon tightly shut her eyes, expecting the worst when it felt itself stop falling suddenly. Upon opening her eyes, she let out a gasp as she found out that she was currently riding Sceptile's back as he pushed back the orange laser with a green one of his own.

"Nice job!" Serena complimented, "Now Sylveon, help out and use Moonblast!"

Sylveon nodded to her trainer and raised her head to charge a shimmering, pinkish-white ball in front of her mouth that sent the crowd into a state of awe at its beauty.

"Oh no you don't!" Misty intervened, "Corsola, stop that Moonblast with a Water Gun!"

The Coral Pokémon quickly shot a jet of water from its mouth towards the two floating Pokémon. In return, Sylveon spat the Moonblast at the jet of water instead of her original target to defend herself and Sceptile. As the two attacks collided, the water jet began glowing luminescently. Suddenly, the two attacks exploded, sending glittering droplets of water slowly raining down across the arena.

Unperturbed by the series of events, Sceptile continued pushing his opponent's attack back downward to the point that the water began splitting at the declining epicenter of the two beams. Gyarados desperately fired its attack with all of its power to push the Solarbeam back, but it was to no avail. The effects of Hyper Beam were taking their toll.

Misty watched these events unfold, pursing her lips.

"I'm impressed, Ash." Misty admitted, "You're not the same newbie trainer who barely knew what they were doing anymore."

"And you're not the same annoying little tomboy you used to be," Ash shot back with a smirk, "But this fight is over. Sceptile! Finish this!"

"Rrrraugh-TIIIIILE!" Roared Sceptile as he intensified the Solarbeam enough that it shot forward, slowing down in front of Gyarados's open maw but very much still trekking forward.

"Misty is being overpowered!" Announced Daisy, "Is this battle over already?!"

"You didn't let me finish!" Misty bellowed, "You're not the same newbie trainer you used to be anymore, but you're still leagues from surpassing me!"

Misty smirked and pulled out a necklace from inside her jacket. She placed it firmly around her neck and revealed to her opponents what was attached to the necklace, causing them to gasp in shock. At the bottom of the necklace lied a golden casing that held a rainbow-colored stone. Upon tapping the stone with her finger, a bright light blinded everyone in the stadium from below the pool save a smirking Misty, blinding Sceptile into cutting off the Solarbeam and Sylveon into hiding behind Sceptile to shield her eyesight.

"What is this light?!" Daisy spoke, "Does Misty have a trump card after all?!"

Out from the water, a colossal beast erupted forth amidst a pillar of water. Gyarados had changed form, now looking immensely bulkier on its back. Massive fins protruded from the beast's back and smaller ones did the same towards the edge of the tail from the top and bottom respectively. Red dots decorated the sides of Gyarados and its underside had turned a deep black.

"Meet Mega Gyarados," Misty said with an excited smirk.

Ash's jaw dropped, "You have a Mega Stone?!"

"How'd you get one of those?!" Serena demanded with widened eyes.

Misty chuckled, "I'm sure you remember, Ash, that the whole reason I took over the Gym was because my sisters won a trip around the world, and that trip led them to the Kalos Region. The three were visiting an aquarium of some sort, and noticed two beautiful stones on display. When they asked if they could buy it, the attendant at the time laughed at them and told them that unless they had a Gyarados, they wouldn't find much use out of it, and that it cost a fortune anyways."

Misty sent a judging look over to her commentating sister, earning an embarrassed wave back.

"Of course, they bought it anyways, only to remember that I was the only one of us four that could control our Gyarados, so they ended up just sending it to me, and the rest is history."

Serena sent a nervous look to Ash, "What are our chances?"

Ash gave her a reassuring smile, "I'd say still pretty good."

Misty gave a mocking laugh at Ash.

"Hah!" She mocked, "Don't get overconfident, Ash!"

Ash chuckled at her, "Mega Gyarados is a Water and Dark-Type, Misty. You've just made it so it's now weak against both Sceptile _and_ Sylveon."

"Oh wow!" Daisy announced, "It seems that Misty's trump card has backfired!"

Misty growled and her face reddened.

"Whatever!" She cried, "You of all people should know that type advantage isn't everything, Ash! Gyarados, use Dark Pulse!"

"Sylveon," Serena shouted desperately, "Use Moonblast before it has the chance!"

Quickly thinking, the Eeveelution spat a quick Moonblast in Gyarados's direction, impacting it in the side of its head and creating a cloud of smoke from the explosion. A dark beam of rapidly spiraling dark energy shot out from the smoke immediately afterward, catching Sylveon and sending her flying into a nearby wall.

"Sylveon, no!" Serena cried.

"OOOOOH!" Winced Daisy, "That's an attack Sylveon won't soon be forgetting! Perhaps Misty was right in saying that type advantages aren't everything after all!"

"Sceptile, help Sylveon!" Ash ordered.

With a nod, Sceptile blinked from sight and reappeared falling out of the dust cloud that had resulted from Sylveon's wall impact with said Eeveelution in his arms. He offered her to Serena as she ran over to them, getting a nodding thanks.

"Sylveon, are you alright?!"

Sylveon slowly opened her clenched eyes, staring into her trainer's. She gave a weak smirk before forcing herself out of Serena's grasp and ran back to the pool. Sceptile soon jumped and landed next to her, giving her an approving smirk and placing a twig in his mouth. Sylveon returned the smirk and sent a glare at Gyarados and Corsola, sending out her version of a war cry that earned a roaring cheer from the crowd.

"Unbelievable!" Daisy cried over the intercom, "Sylveon shrugged off that devastating attack and has re-entered the battle! What a magnificent Pokemon!"

The crowd roared once more.

"All right!" Cheered Serena as she ran back over to the battlefield herself, "Sylveon, let's show 'em who's boss! Ash, you take Corsola, I'll take on Gyarados while you're busy with that."

Ash raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment further.

"All right, Sceptile, you heard her!"

Sceptile gave his trainer an odd look, to which Ash simply shrugged. Rolling his eyes and letting out a sigh, Sceptile blurred to one of the few remaining platforms and stared down upon Corsola darkly, giving it a paralyzing glare.

Misty raised an eyebrow, "Not sure why you'd fight the stronger of the two, but I can respect your bravery. I'll reward that bravery by not holding back! Gyarados, use Hydro Pump!"

"I'm looking forward to it, Misty!" Serena shot back with a grin, "Sylveon, Dazzling Gleam!"

As the water beast reared back its mighty head to prepare itself to launch the Hydro Pump, Sylveon took the initiative and blinded everyone in the stadium by releasing a searingly bright white. Those in the audience were forced to turn away and duck after they'd soon found out that shutting their eyes did nothing to dim the bright lights. Gyarados, however, was much less lucky than the audience due to being directly in the Eeveelution's face. It screeched in agony as its eyes were assaulted in a way that it felt like it were forcibly staring into the very sun.

"Aaaugh!" Daisy shouted, "What is this light?! Some kind of trump card of the opposing team as well?!"

"Gah!" Misty cried, ducking downward to try and avert the blazing-white wall of light in front of her, "What is that?!"

"Charge Moonblast, now!"

The light began receding into its source, letting some of the audience members regain their vision once more. Though, Gyarados did not end up as fortuitous. The Atrocious Pokemon flailed wildly, kicking up waves and roaring madly. It shot off a Hydro Pump randomly, nearly impacting someone in the audience until a Starmie flew in its path and projected a Light Screen to destroy the attack before it could do any damage.

Misty slowly opened her eyes as she noticed the light dimming. She'd been hearing Gyarados rampaging, but there wasn't much she could do with that light there.

"Gyarados!" She cried, "You have to control yourself! Look, the light's dimming!"

Under normal circumstances, a Gyarados this powerful wouldn't even bother acknowledging this speech. However, this was no ordinary Gyarados. This one knew better than to let its instincts blind it, at least not for long. Slowing its thrashing to a stop, the beast listened intently to its trainer, though it could not yet open its eyes for the fact that it was in the direct vicinity of Dazzling Gleam.

"There you go, Gyarados!" Misty Cheered, "Now Corsola, hop on top of Gyarados and use Recover! Let's get those eyes patched up!"

"Intercept it with Leaf Blade!" Ash intervened.

Corsola dove underwater and swam towards its hulking partner, aiming to share its Recovery with the beast, but it was not meant to be, As soon as the Coral Pokemon resurfaced, it was struck back down into the water by a swift, quadrouply supereffective strike. It bounced roughly on the bottom of the pool before slowly rising back to the surface, its eyes swirly.

"Corsola, no!" Misty cried out.

"Oh no!" Daisy cried out as Misty recalled her fallen Pokemon, "One of Gym Leader Misty's Pokemon has fallen! Will she be able to pull a win back with her one remaining Pokemon, or is this one Badge loss this Gym Leader won't soon be forgetting?!"

Apparently so, as the light finally simmered down to reveal one massive ball of light hovering above Sylveon's open mouth. The giant ball loomed over Misty and Gyarados menacingly, etching their shadows behind them.

"Now, fire!" Serena said ecstatically.

"No!" Screamed Misty, "Gyarados, it's time to reveal our true power!"

Her look of fear turned to one of menace.

"Ash, Serena. You have proven much more capable than I originally thought, but I haven't been sitting idly all this time! This next attack is a trick Gyarados and I have been practicing for months now, but we've only ever succeeded in using it while Gyarados here has been in Mega form. Gyarados, use Hydro Beam!"

"Hydro what?!" Ash cried with widened eyes.

"Sylveon, you have to fire now!" Serena urged desperately, "That attack sounds dangerous!"

Gyarados, despite being blind, could very well still see Sylveon's giant Moonblast from behind its eyelids and with a mighty roar, its gaping maws opened to reveal an orange ball forming in its mouth surrounded by intensely swirling jets of water. Sylveon and Gyarados shot their awe-inspiring attacks towards each other, forcing the water underneath rocketing downwards and shooting out from the sides of the pool, though it was frighteningly apparent who was winning this struggle. Almost immediately upon impact, the giant Moonblast was sent rocketing towards its sender, making the terrified Eevelution widen its eyes as it stared into seemingly certain doom.

"Sceptile, Solarbeam the Moonblast and push it back towards Gyarados!"

Sceptile rushed in front of Sylveon and fired a green glowing beam out of his mouth, stopping the two colliding attacks in their tracks with Moonblast trapped in the middle.

"What?!" Demanded Misty, "How are you actually holding that attack back?!"

Ash chuckled, "I'll let you in on a little secret, Misty, since you're my friend and all. This Sceptile took down a Darkrai once. It'll take more than that to bring this one down! Sceptile, full power!"

"TIIIIIIILLLEEEEE!" Bellowed Sceptile. Following that roar, the Solarbeam's size increased dramatically and Gyarados's vision flashed back to not too long ago when it was pinned down from above with that same attack. Enraged, the Atrocious Pokemon bellowed so mightily that the Gym itself seemingly shook, and the Hydro Beam attack soon matched its opposing Solarbeam with the Moonblast firmly pinned in the center of the pool once more.

"You never won against me before, Ash!" Misty shouted, "And I'll make sure you don't win this time either! THROW EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT AT 'EM, GYARADOS!"

Ash smirked, "We both know who would've won if we got to finish, Misty. SCEPTILE, GIVE 'EM YOUR FULL POWER!"

The entire building began to shake as the two powerful attacks increased in size once more, now almost dwarfing the Moonblast. Many Staryu and Starmie began flying towards the scene and surrounded the pool with Light Screens, creating a transparent dome in order to protect the audience from potential harm if the two attacks exploded.

"Please stay calm!" Daisy shouted to the audience, "This battle is perfectly under control!"

Her shaky voice seemed to be a giveaway of her worry, and as a result some of the watchers began evacuating the shaking building,trying not to fall on their way out.

"Don't leave just yet!" Serena shouted with a grin, "This show's still going, and you're about to miss the main act! Sylveon, use Moonblast once more!"

Another, smaller ball of gleaming white impacted Mega Gyarados in the side of its head. Through the smoke, Gyarados glared at Sylveon who was currently standing on the only remaining platform in the pool, smirking irritatingly at the Atrocious Pokemon. She motioned her eyes to the left of Gyarados, making it look back in horror as it realised it had ceased fire in its distraction. Though luckily for it, and everyone else in the building, Sceptile had ceased fire as well.

"Sceptile, use Leaf Blade on the Moonblast!" Ash ordered.

Sceptile shot forward and slashed at the giant ball of white, sending it flying towards Gyarados.

"Gyarados, dodge it!" Pleaded Misty.

Gyarados's fatigue hit it like a truck and it found itself completely immobilized as it tried to dive. The giant Mooblast slammed into Gyarados's face, making its head reel backwards.

"Now, Leaf Blade from above!"

"TIIIIIIIILE!" Bellowed Sceptile as he appeared over Gyarados and the Moonblast. With the world slowing to a hault and the Moonblast positioned perfectly above Gyarados, Sceptile rocketed downward like a meteor, leaving an afterimage of a green streak behind him as he shot down with his arm outstretched like a meteor as he impacted the white ball, sending both the Pokemon into the bottom of the pool. The ball crumpled and bent like putty above Gyarados and began glowing dangerously.

"Solarbeam out of there!" Ash ordered.

Sceptile sent one last smirk towards his adversary and spat his twig into its exposed face below before releasing a familiar green beam from his mouth, impacting the Moonblast and trapping Gyarados in its place as Sceptile was pushed out of the water by the attack. He looked down at the water below for his comrade and was pleasantly surprised to find that Sylveon had already evacuated back onto land. Smirking, he followed suit and blurred his way over back to his comrades to stare at the inevitable explosion together.

"Gyarados, no!" Misty cried out helplessly as the pool was engulfed in white and a pillar of light rocketed up from it, tearing through the roof of the giant gym like it was tissue paper. The protective barrier created by the Starmies and Staryu was blasted to smithereens, sending its creators flying backward before they scurried off in a panic. The people of Cerulean stared in awe at the massive beacon that suddenly erupted from the Gym and the audience sat mesmerized by its destructive beauty. When the light dimmed down, Misty opened her eyes and gazed upon her unconscious partner at the bottom of the empty pool, its Mega form gone.

The entire crowd sat silent with baited breath. Not one person in the audience dared move a muscle. They sat completely still, unmoving from their awe at the scene that had just taken place before them. Finally, someone dared to slowly clap. Then the others began slowly but surely began joining in. Ash and Serena let out exhausted smiles as the whole stadium began clapping, whistling and hooting.

"Well it seems our winners are clear!" Daisy announced, "The challengers, Ash and Serena, have defeated Gym Leader Misty!"

Misty returned her Gyarados to its Pokeball, her face darkened by the spotlights overhead.

"Ash...Serena…" She said. She raised her head, ridding her face of the shadows. She gave the two trainers a jubilant grin.

"You two...you truly are great trainers."

With that, Misty turned to walk back out of the door behind her. Before she disappeared into shadow, Misty turned around once more to face the trainers.

"By the way, Serena...you're a good kid. Take care of Ash for me."

"Don't worry," Serena shouted back, "You can count on me!"

Waving a final wave towards the two and, to a lesser extent, the audience, Misty disappeared out of sight.

"What'd she mean by that?" Ash asked obliviously, only getting a light giggle from Serena which only served to make him more confused.

Daisy floated unsteadily towards the victors whilst riding one of the Starmie from earlier, holding out two shiny blue badges.

"And to the victor go the spoils, folks!" Daisy announced to the still roaring crowd, "Here are the Cascadebadges, you two!"

Serena and Ash grinned ecstatically as Daisy held out the two Badges.

"Alright!" The two proclaimed in sync, holding their hard-earned prizes out for all to see, "We got...THE CASCADEBADGE!"

"VEOOON!" Sylveon cried, bouncing around and doing dramatic poses for the audience

"Tile," Sceptile said simply, ripping a hair off his tail to use as a makeshift twig and putting it in his mouth with his usual smirk.

* * *

The two trainers stood over a hilltop, overlooking Cerulean City with bright smiles on their faces. Even after that fight, pushing their way through the crowds cheering for them outside of the Gym, and searching for Misty to no avail, there still was plenty of time left in the day, to which Ash hastily decided to use that time for getting to the next Gym as quickly as possible, much to Serena's short-lived annoyance. Though now, the two stood proud over their accomplishment with smiles plastered on their faces. Pikachu hopped upon his trainer's shoulders to overlook the town once more. With that, the trio turned around to continue their journey.

* * *

Arceus sat silently within the Hall of Origin, meditating and blissfully unaware of the outside world when the Lord of the Skies, Rayquaza bolted into the large room through his respective green portal above his pedestal. Arceus gaped at the grisly sight before him. Rayquaza carried in his talons the three Elemental Birds, Articuno, Zapdos, and Moltres while on his back, he lugged the Beast of the Seas, Lugia. Arceus seethed with rage as he gazed upon their horrid condition. The Legends before him, save Rayquaza, were all battered and beaten to the point they were hardly recognizable; gashes, bruises and scars covering their bodies.

" _Lord Arceus_!" Rayquaza stated with a bow, lowering the unconscious Legendaries, " _We need Xerneas! They will not last much longer!_ "

Arceus nodded, daring not to ask questions that would prolong the Legends' suffering.

" _ **XERNEAS!**_ " Arceus summoned, ushering in the azure Life-holding deer.

Out from above another pedestal, the blank, portal behind it shone blue and Xerneas, affectionately nicknamed the Life-Giver by those who met her, walked through the portal with her head held high.

" _ **Milord?**_ " Xerneas inquired with a bow.

Arceus motioned his gaze towards Rayquaza, " _ **LUGIA AND THE THREE ELEMENTAL BIRDS APPEAR TO BE GRAVELY INJURED. I WOULD ASK THAT YOU RESTORE THEM.**_

Xerneas nodded, " _ **All at once? I shall do it, but it will take longer-**_ "

" _ **TIME IS OF NO VALUE SO LONG AS THEY LIVE, XERNEAS.**_ "

" _ **I understand.**_ " Xerneas replied with a bow. She made her way towards the dying Legendaries, to which Rayquaza backed away to allow the Life-giving Legendary space to work her magic

Xerneas closed her eyes and took a long, sharp intake of air, " _ **...Geomancy…**_ "

The Pokémon of Life glowed a brilliant white hue, somehow illuminating the already white Hall even further. This light began spreading around the Legendary, slowly encompassing the four wounded Legends around her. Apparent blue streaks snaked their way from Xerneas's brilliant, multicolored horns and implanted themselves into the fallen Legendaries' backs. The light flashed brightly for but a split second before disappearing entirely, taking the blue streaks with it.

Xerneas let out a sigh, " _ **Milord, it is done. I have planted the seed of their recovery. It is good that you brought them here as quickly as you did, otherwise they would not have made it. Though, these seeds will take many months to take full effect and restore them to their fullest state. Do take care to make sure they don't end up in any fights in that time, otherwise the seed may lose its effect.**_ "

The Alpha Pokemon nodded, " _ **I THANK YOU, XERNEAS. I WILL MAKE SURE THEY DO NOT ENTER SUCH A SITUATION AGAIN.**_ "

" _ **So, Milord, may I be dismissed?**_ " Asked Xerneas with a bow.

" _ **NOT YET,**_ " Stated Arceus, " _ **WHILE YOU STILL REMAIN HERE, THERE IS SOMETHING YOU MIGHT AS WELL HEAR**_."

Arceus turned his attention on Rayquaza, " _ **YOU BROUGHT THESE FOUR HERE. DO YOU KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?**_ "

" _I am not sure, Milord_ ," Rayquaza said with a scowl, glaring into the floor, " _But as much as I hate to say it, I believe it was-_ "

" _I-it...was...N-Nec-crozma…_ " A choked voice wailed.

The three whipped their sights around onto the fallen Legendaries to their side. They watched as Lugia struggled to lift itself from the floor, shuddering violently. Arceus took it upon himself to ease Lugia's suffering by encasing him a light golden hue and lifting the Beast of the Sea off of the ground.

" _ **DO NOT PUSH YOURSELF**_ ," Arceus said gently, " _ **XERNEAS, MIGHT I ASK FOR SOME ADDITIONAL ENERGY**_."

" _I...am fine…_ " Lugia persisted.

" _ **YOU ARE FAR FROM FINE, LUGIA. YOU AND THE BIRDS ARE ALL ON YVELTAL'S DOORSTEP!**_ "

" _I m-must...t-tell you…_ " Lugia wheezed, " _N-Necrozma...he's...h-here!_ "

Lugia managed to give Rayquaza a glare.

" _R-Rayquaza...f-failed!_ "

" _What?!_ " Rayquaza bellowed, " _You ungrateful- I saved you!_ "

" _Y-you let Necrozma t-through...he destroyed everything! Because o-of you...T-The Orange Islands...T-The Elemental I-Islands...t-they're g-gone!_ "

Rayquaza growled furiously at the Beast of the Sea.

" _You and the birds still lost to that thing! It is because of your own failure that your homeland is gone, you cretin!_ "

If Lugia could have managed it, he would have fired upon Rayquaza then and there.

" _You...y-you…! If you h-had done y-your job, I w-would not...I would not have need of defending my home! You...you have no idea...how powerful that t-thing is! I n-never stood a c-chance!_ _Look at m-my back!_ "

Rayquaza raised an eyebrow but obeyed and nearly let out a gasp when he saw that one of Lugia's frills were missing.

" _B-because of your f-failure...I m-may never f-fly again!_ "

" _Never fly again?!_ " Rayquaza demanded, " _Fool, do you not realise whose energy is coursing through your veins?! After I spent hours lugging you four around into the ozone layer where my own portal lied, Xerneas saved your lives! With her energy, you will likely fly again in but a few months!_ "

" _ **Incorrect**_ ," Xerneas stated, " _ **My powers heal wounds, but I cannot regenerate limbs. I apologize, Lugia**_."

" _I-It is no fault of y-yours, Lady Xerneas,_ " Lugia rasped, " _O-only..._ his…"

Rayquaza's patience snapped, " _I HAVE HAD ENOUGH OF YOU, LUGIA! I HELP SAVE YOUR LIFE AND THIS IS HOW YOU REPAY ME?!_ "

" _YOU HAVE SAVED NOTHING!"_ Lugia managed to bellow, " _YOUR_ LACK OF _ACTIONS HAS CAUSED ME MY PRIDE, MY FLIGHT, AND MY HOMELAND!_

The two sent death glares at each other and they readied Hyper Beams to eradicate each other from the face of the planet, though the Lord of Pokemon had other ideas. With the stamp of his mighty hoof, a golden pulse rocketed throughout the room, making a great pressure overcome the two arguing Legendaries that forced them into the ground.

" _ **THAT IS ENOUGH!**_ Arceus bellowed, " _ **I WILL NOT TOLERATE THIS MEANINGLESS FIGHTING IN MY MIDST!**_ _**LUGIA, THERE IS NO NEED FOR HOSTILITIES AGAINST RAYQUAZA! ESPECIALLY NOT IN YOUR CONDITION! RAYQUAZA, LUGIA DOES BRING UP THE POINT THAT YOU FAILED MY ORDERS AND LET NECROZMA SLIP THROUGH YOUR GRASP. WHAT SAY YOU?**_ "

" _Milord,_ " Rayquaza struggled, " _I apologize...for my failure...I did not see nor sense anything, I swear it! It was not until...I felt a great shockwave... that I decided to investigate, and by the time...I'd found the source, these four were...already in critical condition_."

Arceus let out a deep sigh in thought, " _ **VERY WELL...I SHALL PARDON YOUR FAILURE THIS ONCE, BUT I EXPECT BETTER FROM YOU IN THE FUTURE.**_ "

Rayquaza bowed, taking it upon himself to make his way towards the portal from which he came, " _Thank you for your forgiveness, Milord_ …"

" _WHAT?!_ " Demanded Lugia, " _You're letting him go?!_ _You aren't punishing him for his failure?! He cost me everything!_ "

" _ **NECROZMA COST YOU EVERYTHING, NOT HIM,**_ " Arceus stated, " _ **LUGIA, I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. NORMALLY, YOU ARE ONE OF, IF NOT THE MOST COMPOSED LEGEND HERE. YET HERE YOU ARE, BLAMING YOUR GRIEVANCES ON OTHERS.**_ "

" _MY grievances?!_ " Lugia demanded, " _If Rayquaza had been there, he would have-_ "

" _ **BEEN RUTHLESSLY SLAUGHTERED BY NECROZMA**_."

" _...Well, he could have_ -"

" _ **BEEN COMPLETELY ERADICATED IN AN ATTEMPT TO FULFILL HIS DUTY**_."

Lugia was at a loss for words to continue the argument.

" _But...he_ -"

" _ **WOULD HAVE DIED A VALIANT HERO'S DEATH TRYING TO PROTECT YOU AND THE ELEMENTAL BIRDS. YOU KNOW THAT, LUGIA, AND THIS IS EXACTLY WHY I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU. I DO NOT CARE THAT YOU LOST TO NECROZMA. EVERYONE MAKES MISTAKES, NO MATTER HOW HORRIBLE OR HOW SEEMINGLY MEANINGLESS.**_ "

" _This is more than a mistake, damn you!_ " Lugia bellowed, " _My home is destroyed, Necrozma is running rampant, and the one responsible for it is getting off without more than a meager slap on the wrist!_ "

Arceus stared sadly into the eyes of the berserking Legend at his feet; Lugias eyes diluting with hate.

" _You are a coward, Arceus! Why, pray tell, have YOU not gone out to personally stop Necrozma yet?! No, all you do is sit on your little perch watching as your CHILDREN DIE BEFORE YOUR VERY EYES!_ "

Arceus sighed, " _ **IT SADDENS ME TO SEE YOU LIKE THIS, LUGIA MY CHILD, IT TRULY DOES...BUT I CANNOT LET YOU CONTINUE. YOU ARE BEING IRRATIONAL. LOGIC AND REASON ARE SEEMINGLY FLYING RIGHT OVER YOUR HEAD, AND I REFUSE TO SPEAK WITH YOU FURTHER UNTIL YOU HAVE COME TO YOUR SENSES.**_ "

" _ **I WILL NOT BE SILENCED**_!" Lugia bellowed, frenzied, " _ **I WILL NOT BE APPEASED UNTIL NECROZMA IS DEAD! UNTIL RAYQUAZA IS PUNISHED! UNTIL MY HOMELAND RETURNS!**_ "

Arceus's will nearly shattered at the way Lugia wailed, but his stance remained.

" _ **I AM SORRY, MY SON.**_ "

Lugia let out a cut-off, choked scream before its eyes went wide and the Beast of the Sea fell unconscious once more.

" _ **I PROMISE...I WILL MAKE THIS UP TO YOU…**_ "

* * *

AN

Creator- GEEEEEEEEZ, that took forever to write. I might be able to release one or two more chapters before Summer Break...maaaaaaaaybe….but during Summer Break, you can expect MANY chapters….if I can worm my way outta Summer School. Stupid Math…

Hydra- Well… that was interesting wouldn't you agree. I hope you loved this chapter. It sucks because we already have this whole story planned out and I'm just itching to get further into it because everything that is happening now is NOTHING compared to what's coming.

Creator- Onto the reviews!

 **TeamPiperM**

"They also put him in the Unova reigon with the whole Team Plasma thing, but who wants to remember Best Wishes? I still can't believe that Gen 5, my favorite Generation, got the shaft when it came to the anime. Even Ash vs. Roxie, my favorite battle in the series, cannot save it from being the worst. I mean, I like Best Wishes a little, but they could've done SO MUCH BETTER."

Creator- Absolutely. At least SM is funny, the BW anime as a whole was trash compared to their glorious game counterparts. Massive step back from Sinnoh.

Hydra- So much good ideas that was either ignored or poorly executed in the anime.

 **Guest1**

"Necrozma is not an ultra beast. It is clearly stated as being a separate entity from them. If you played the game, or even looked into what it was then maybe I could take this seriously, but that is one giant mistake to make. Other then that, great story."

Creator- I am well aware Necrozma is not an Ultra Beast in the games. But here, it is a massive plotpoint as to why he's referred to an Ultra Beast rather than a Legendary, but I'm not gonna spoil it ;)

Hydra- He basically summed up what I was going to say.

 **Armorshippingfan**

"Good chapter I can't believe that guy killed poor Looker and I felt so sorry for lugia losing one his scales to an Ultra Breast like that and i liked how ash and Serena sent team rocket away and how Serena got a new Pokemon and I wonder what that dream Ash had was about and I think his aura is waking up"

Creator - "An Ultra Breast" That made me laugh a lot, thanks XD.

Hydra- I'm happy you liked it, I'm sorry about Looker. :(

 **Johnny Spectre**

"actually, it's wouldn't be TOO difficult for adding Marshadow. After all, Ash does seem to have uncanny luck when it comes to surviving so many fiascos. and that could also be why he's gotten through meeting so many legendaries unscathed... the Tears of Life from the First Movie and him being "stoned", that could be when Marshadow possibly "bonded" with the Ash's shadow, potentially fighting off the unseen threats of death against the "Chosen One".

Creator- Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmaybe dunno tho

Hydra- ;)

 **Guest2**

"This story is amazing and I love that now I have some Pokémon based that I can read in my free time and I'm definitely going to stay updated. I look forward to reading this to the end. Also p.s. AshxSerena was really cute

Creator- Glad you liked it! There's PLENTY more where that came from.

Hydra- thank you so much for that kind review it really got my hopes up that this story can be a huge success and entertainment to people.

Creator- well, that's all for now, folks, it's a bit of a bumpy ride for now, but once school ends, hopefully we'll be able to tear through this Fic over the summer.

Hydra- Thank you to anyone who view's this story and a special thank you to our kind reviewers who go out of their way to tell us what they think of the story. I hope you guys continue on this adventure with us and that we can bring you some entertainment and joy, thank you and have a nice week. P.S we already started working on the next chapter.


	7. Chapter 7: Iron

The room was nearly pitch black, though a large holographic screen behind The Man's desk glowed faintly. The Man himself stared silently at that screen, His large spinning chair facing away from the desk so that The Man could watch the screen and a cigar firmly placed in His mouth as usual. The screen displayed a familiar green titan combatting a giant, red snake coated in crystalline armor with five frills protruding out of its neck below. The green titan rushed straight into the snake's stomach, gradually breaking it apart before finally ripping out the opposite side.

" _ **KALOS! I WILL PROTECT YOU!**_ " The titan roared.

The Man scowled and spat His cigar onto the floor, crushing it underneath His foot and rubbing out the ashes left behind.

"Protect?" The Man spat to nobody in particular, "You're the reason that thing existed in the first place, you damned worm!"

The emerald titan flew high into the sky and gathered energy into its chest. The sky around it turned a similar color until finally, a massive laser erupted out and slammed into the ground nearby the red serpent. It carved a path into the ground, curved back around to tear through the crimson snake, and carved another path after that to create a "Z" embedded into the ground where the serpent stood, only for the titan to turn its back to the scene and the "Z" to violently explode outward, eradicating the serpent along with the red-haired man that stood on top of it.

The Man could have sworn He heard a screaming voice amidst the final explosion, though He couldn't quite make it out. He scrolled His fingers on the screen to make it larger in the area of the explosion and watched it again, yet the voice still could not be heard clearly. He heightened the quality and tried to isolate the sound, and finally He managed to hear the voice.

" _AUUUGH! NOT YEEET! MOOOOVE! IT'S NOT OVER YET, NOOOOOOO!"_

The Man's frown deepened and he pressed a button on the arm of his chair, turning off the screen and sending the room back to blackness.

"Lysandre, you fool," The Man spat, "You thought yourself better than all the Team Leaders before you, you thought you had everything, and yet in the end, you fell...but at least your death...will serve a purpose."

The Man chuckled darkly, "Through your death and the other Team Leaders' failures, I now know what to watch out for."

The Man frowned once more, deep in thought. Of every single one of those Team Leaders' failure, every single time a Legend has appeared in recent years...there was always one single person there. Even in... _Alamos_ …That boy, Ash Ketchum, was always there to save the day. He would have to keep a close eye on that kid. One so close to the Legends could be dangerous...or perhaps…

The Man grinned, his shining teeth being the only visible part of him.

... _useful…_

* * *

Ash and Serena squinted their eyes, barely able to make out the foggy path ahead of them due to the thick layer of fog coating the area.

"See anything, Pikachu?" Ash asked his trusted partner.

Pikachu shook his head and frowned, "Pi, Pi…"

Ash sighed, "Guess we'll be here a while, then."

Serena wordlessly scanned the area around them. A chill constantly ran up and down her spine as she glanced around the foggy forest surrounding them. She jumped back with a yelp as a large shadow came into view. To her, it looked like a large tent with an elevated signpost in front of it.

"Gah!" Ash exclaimed, startled by Serena's yelp, "What is it?!"

Serena shakily pointed a finger in the direction of the shadow.

"Th-there!"

Ash raised an eyebrow and traced her finger to the shadow. Turning to his partner who simply gave him an odd look, Ash shrugged and began to make his way to the shadow, earning a scream from Serena.

"DON'T GO NEAR IIIIT!" Serena screamed.

"C'mon!" Ash called back, "You don't wanna be left behind, do ya?"

"AAAASH!" Serena whined, but complied for fear of being left alone in such a creepy area as this one.

As Ash approached the shadow, he saw the elevated sign had the scratched-out words, "The Path to the Pokemon League" on it along with two black monitors on each side of it that looked as if they hadn't been turned on in years.

"The Path to the Pokemon League…" Ash repeated.

"Pika…"

"W-what is this creepy place?" Serena shakily asked, shuddering and looking around frantically.

"Dunno," Ash replied without taking his glance away from the board, "But it seems...familiar…but I don't remember it being all torn up like this."

"We can a-ask questions l-later, let's just get outta here!"

She gawked when she saw Ash had completely ignored her and began walking towards the tent. With a groan, Serena hesitantly followed suit. As Ash peered inside the tent, he saw what looked like a miniature carnival. In one corner, a pile of scattered dumbbells lied on the ground in front of a toppled stand. In another corner, a crisp-black hoop was strung hanging from a chain. In the middle, the remains of a large diving board lay scattered across the floor and a pool with blackened water, coated in leaves and shreddings of the tent's roof.

"Woah," Ash exclaimed at the sight, "What the heck happened here?"

"W-whatever i-it is," Serena stuttered, "It's c-creeping m-me out!"

Ash shrugged, "Relax, Serena. I've seen plenty haunted places here in Kanto, and this isn't one of them."

"W-wait, so there _are_ haunted places around here?!" Serena shrieked.

Ash let out a long-winded sigh but didn't respond, instead opting to continue investigating the abandoned tent's contents. He hesitantly stuck his index finger into the blackened pool water and hastily shook it off as he saw how it stuck to his finger. He looked back to see Serena still shuddering, but at least getting a bit explorative as well. He gave her a thumbs up and a grin to which she responded with a weak one of her own. Chuckling, Ash went on with his investigation with the dumbbells being his next objective. Ash's eyes widened like dinner plates as he saw the massiveness of even the smallest dumbbells' size. Ash scratched off some rust to see that it read "200 Kilo" on it. Ash sweatdropped. Whatever clowns worked here before must have been _jacked_.

Ash spotted a small, metal collar in the pile of dumbbells and attempted to lift it, barely getting it off the ground before falling backwards in a heap.

"Pi, Pika?" Ash's partner chirped as he ran over to the dumbbell heap from whatever he was doing elsewhere.

"Chu?" The electric mouse asked his partner.

"Yeah, I'm okay," Ash responded, "But I feel bad for whoever had to have that thing around their necks."

Pikachu turned his gaze to the pile of forgotten metal and spotted the collar Ash had spoken about. Eager to prove his strength simply for the fun of it, Pikachu attempted to pick up the metal collar and managed to lift it over his head for all of about three seconds before the weight tilted him over and he fell in a similar heap. Frustrated, Pikachu hopped back onto his feet and powered up an Iron Tail, placing it into the hole in the center of the collar. Like a crowbar, the mouse Pokemon slowly lifted the heavy collar from its placement on the ground until the rest of his body found itself being lifted off the ground by the collar's weight and now Pikachu found his tail firmly pinned into the ground by the collar. The electric mouse yelped as the Iron Tail began to wear off and now he furiously struggled to regain his appendage from the collar's clutches.

"Ash!" Serena called out, scaring Pikachu into ripping his tail free and flying backwards, "I found something!"

"What is it?" Ash called back to her.

"I think it's...an old photo…"

Ash hopped to his feet and jogged over to Serena. In her hands was a cracked and dusty framed photo of a kid with green and black hair smirking while surrounded by Pokemon. The lower half of a Beedrill could be seen amidst the tearing of the photo, along with a Butterfree and what Ash could only assume to be a Sandshrew, though most of its body was covered in dust.

"Weird," Ash commented, "That kid...looks familiar."

"Did you know him?"

Ash shook his head, "If I did, it probably wasn't for very long...but something about that smirk of his just rubs me the wrong way."

Serena sighed tiredly, "Welcome to my world. I've had that feeling ever since we got here…"

Ash turned his gaze towards the exit, "Well, there doesn't appear to be anything left here, so I don't see the problem in leaving."

Ash nearly jumped back when he turned his attention back to Serena to see that she had disappeared.

"Serena?!" Ash yelled.

"Over here!" Serena's muffled voice rang out from outside the tent.

Ash sprinted out of the tent in a panic, only to find Serena waving towards him with a bright smile on her face.

"Better now than never!" Serena called to him with a wave.

Ash sighed hopelessly at Serena's antics, but complied.

"Pikachu!" Ash called, causing the yellow mouse to come sprinting back out of the tent to hop back onto his normal spot on his trainer's shoulder once more.

"All set!" Ash called back to Serena.

"Then what are we waiting for?!" Serena said, running over to Ash and pushing him onto and further up the road, kicking up a cloud of dust as she ran, "Let's get outta here!"

"Woah, hey!" Ash protested to no avail.

* * *

Several minutes of persuading Serena to stop her sprinting later, the trio found themselves back to square one. Once again, they trotted along amidst the blank, foggy forest path with nothing but white and shadows of trees to occupy their thoughts.

"So…" Serena said, trying to spark a conversation, "What's the next Badge we're up for?"

Ash put a hand to his chin, attempting to remember.

"I believe this next one's the Electric Gym-Leader, Lieutenant Surge. You remember him, right, buddy?"

"Pi." Pikachu growled, sparking his cheeks at the memory of that smug Raichu.

"Lieutenant?" Serena asked, "Lieutenant of what?"

Ash shrugged, "I heard rumors of that guy fighting in a war and that he's super old, but you wouldn't ever guess it by looking at the guy."

"Woah, this guy fought in a war?!" Serena yelped, "Just how old is he?"

"Eh," Ash said, "It's just rumors. Personally, I think he just wants to scare kids with that title. There hasn't been a war in ages."

"Well, that's kind of a letdown to be honest," Serena said.

" _And a relief,"_ She thought to herself.

"So how strong is this guy?"

"Well, he only used a Raichu back then, so I don't really know how strong he is _now_. Not to mention, the Gym Leaders so far have been less than merciful with the Pokemon they've been using lately, so I'd say this next matchup is gonna be pretty brutal, honestly."

"Why are you saying that with a grin?" Serena deadpanned.

The two stopped in their tracks as a muffled voice could be heard from amongst the fog, though what it was saying couldn't be made out.

"W-what was that?" Serena shrieked.

Ash remained silent, scanning the forestation for the source of the voice. Pikachu sparked his cheeks threateningly. The three of them flinched as the voice spoke out once more, but Ash could definitely pick up that it at least wasn't speaking to _them_. But if not them, then who?

"Serena, stay close." Ash said simply before taking off, veering to his right before disappearing into the misty forest.

"Wha-" Serena stuttered, "Hey, don't go off without me!"

As Ash ran into the forest, the familiar shadows of trees darted past him. He looked around for anything out of the ordinary that might have been related to the voice, but found nothing amidst the seemingly endless white. He stopped to examine a large tree in particular when the voice spoke out again.

" _Aaaaaash, wait uuuuup!"_

"Serena?!"

Serena appeared from within the fog, running clumsily and panting heavily. She ran towards Ash and collapsed at his feet in an exhausted mess.

"You nearly gave me a heart attack," Ash said.

Serena flipped over onto her back and gave Ash a condescending look, "That makes two of us."

Serena eep'd and sprang to her feet as the true voice called out once more from seemingly every angle. Ash gritted his teeth and stood on edge while his ever-faithful partner sparked his cheeks threateningly.

" _HEY, OPEN UP!"_ The voice bellowed, making the three jump.

"What was that?!" Serena screeched.

"Dunno," Replied Ash, "But it...didn't sound like a ghost, or anything.

"That's just what they _want_ you to think!" Serena shrieked.

Serena screamed as a loud bang echoed throughout the white forest, to which Ash quickly cupped a hand over her mouth to listen intently.

" _YOU SNOBBY BRATS THINK YOU'RE BETTER THAN ME?!"_ The voice roared, " _LEMME AT 'CHA, I COULD TAKE ANYONE YOU GOT!"_

Ash loosed his tense form, raising an eyebrow at Pikachu who simply shrugged.

"Well, no use taking guesses as to what it is," Ash said, "Let's go, Serena."

Serena whined nervously, but followed. They heard more continuous ramblings from the aggressive voice, along with more banging noises while they went. Pikachu flicked his ears from time to time and pointed Ash in the direction of the voice every time it spoke. Finally, the loud ramblings were right on top of them and a large shadow came into view.

"Excuse me," A young, accented voice spoke out to the trio, making Serena jump, "But you two were those stand up trainers that defeated Gym Leader Misty stunningly recently, yes? Ash and Serena, was it?"

Out from the fog to their side, a young boy in a sophisticated-looking black suit strutted up to the two trainers with an obviously practiced smile and slick, dark gray hair. He wore a pair of odd glasses with tinted swirls in them.

"Uh, yeah," Ash replied, "We beat Misty, what about it? And how did you know about that? Were you watching it?"

The young boy cleared his throat and shook his head, "The fight was being broadcasted throughout the entire world, my good sir, did you not hear Lady Daisy saying the match was Live?"

"Oh geez," Serena commented, "I thought she meant that it was a live show when she said that; I didn't know it was being broadcasted!"

The young boy simply shrugged, "Well, I guess it cannot be helped then. In any case, you two _are_ in pursuit of that loudmouth, correct?"

"If you mean that voice that's been yelling for the past half-hour, then yeah," Ash said with a nod.

The young boy directed his finger towards the large shadow, "Well, he's right over there at the front door of the school. He's been demanding entry to the school for the past four hours and all the students' attempts to make him leave via Pokemon battles have ended in dramatic failure, so the rest of the students simply holed themselves up and locked the door shut, however, I was off taking a nap underneath a nearby tree and only just woke up recently due to that boy's yelling."

Ash smirked, "I get it. So, you want us to put him in his place, right?"

The sophisticated boy shrugged, "I could just as easily do it myself, but it's just such a hassle, you know?"

"Do it yourself?" Serena asked incredulously, "Didn't you just say this guy took out every other student here?"

"Were I old enough, I'd have long since graduated and abandoned this place. But alas, time is ever cruel to all ages, young and old. Sometimes I feel like the only reason I'm still here is to show off. However, that is another story for another day. Good luck, you two. That kid might be almost as strong as _I_ am when it comes to battling. Ta-ta!"

With that, the young boy waved, stuck his hands in his pockets, and disappeared back into the fog.

"Oh, wait!" Ash called out, "I didn't catch your name!"

But the boy had already vanished, seemingly into midair. An intense shiver ran up Serena's spine.

"Ash, do you think that was a-"

"No," Ash interrupted, "He wasn't a ghost. C'mon, we've _seen_ ghosts before. Get it together, Serena, the fog's messin' with your head."

"Y-yeah, you're right," Serena conceded, "It's...just the fog…"

" _HEY!"_ The voice bellowed once more, causing Serena to jump again, " _OPEN UP, OR I'LL BREAK DOWN THIS DOOR MYSELF!"_

"Oh geez," Ash sweatdropped, "How'd I manage to forget about that? C'mon, Serena, let's see what's up with this guy."

"R-right!"

The duo walked through the fog until the shadow came into their view, revealing a large building decorated in windows, and of course a figure rapidly banging on the front door and yelling furiously.

"So, this is the school that kid was talking about," Ash stated, looking up at the large building.

Serena held her hands to her ears to avoid another round of the screeching from the boy ahead.

"What did you say?!" She yelled to Ash, "I can't hear you!"

"I saaaaid," Yelled Ash, "So, this is the school that kid was talking about!"

"WHAAAAT?!"

"THIS IS THE-"

" _CHUUUUUUUUUUU!_ "

Their makeshift yelling competition was interrupted when the Electric Mouse Pokemon grew impatient with his trainers' ramblings that only furthered the noise assaulting his ears and sent out a Thunderbolt to shock the two of them into silence.

" _HEY, YOU TWO!"_ The voice called out specifically to Ash and Serena, " _QUIET DOWN OVER THERE! YOU'RE MESSIN' UP MY CONCENTRATION!"_

"Uh, sir," Ash said after a small pause, "We've been hearing your...complaints for the past half-hour from the opposite side of the forest."

"What about it?!" The boy yelled from across the gap, "My complaints are perfectly reasonable!"

"So, um," Serena started hesitantly, "How come you're terrorizing this school again?"

"Terrorizin'?!" The boy demanded, "I politely requested entry to this school, but these stuck-up whelps took one look at me and said I didn't have what it took! Can you believe that?! These guys aint even givin' me a chance, so I'm makin' sure they hear my complaints!"

"Oh, that sounds fair." Ash conceded, his signature grin returning.

"Huh?!" Serena screeched, "Ash, you're really gonna just let this guy get away with terrorizing the school?!"

Ash shook his head, "I never said that. Hey, kid, how do you fare in a battle?"

"Battle?" The boy repeated, interest practically oozing from his voice, "Yeah, I battle all right. 'Fact, before I even started Gym-hoppin', I dedicated myself to winnin' a hundred matches straight! I trained my Pokemon and even myself to the point that most would give up within a week, but we prevailed! Soon enough, we ended up beating some kid with a Pikachu and a Pidgeotto and that kid ended up helpin' me get my hundreth win by fightin' some chumps in weird, white suits!"

"A kid with a Pikachu?" Ash asked, staring at his partner on his shoulder.

"Weird, white suits?" Serena muttered to herself.

"Yeah, you know 'em or somethin'?"

"Well, I've got a pretty good idea," Ash said with a smirk, "I think we've fought once before a long time ago."

"Wait a darned minute," The boy said, walking out to the two trainers. Once close enough, the boy was revealed to be wearing a bright orange jacket, brown shorts, and black hair with spiked green hair above his forehead.

"By chance, is your name Ash?"

Ash nodded, "That's me, all right."

"Hah!" The boy laughed, "It's good to see ya, man!"

"You too," Ash said with a bright grin until a realization dawned on him.

"Umm," Ash said with a sweatdrop, "...What was your name again?"

Serena and the boy fell over with a thud.

"What?!" The boy demanded, "You forgot my name?! Did you forget how badly I beat you too?!"

"Seems to be a running occurrence," Serena deadpanned, remembering Samurai.

Ash nervously rubbed the back of his head, "Yeah, sorry, I usually have a pretty bad memory."

The boy stamped his foot, "Well, you said somethin' about a battle, right? Then I'll give ya a battle you'll never forget!"

Ash smirked, "Looking forward to it! Serena, mind being the ref?"

Serena nodded, "Just go easy on him."

As Serena made her way in between the two trainers, she raised her arm. The two trainers anxiously held a Pokeball in their hands.

"This match will be a full battle of six! Begin!" Serena declared, running for safety off to the side of the misty battlefield.

"Go, Sandslash!"

"Go, Noivern!"

Onto the battlefield came a brown and yellow bipedal mole-like creature with deep brown spikes running down its back and massive white twin claws on each hand. On the opposing side, a large black and purple bat-like creature with massive ears above its head. It had a tuft of fur on its neck and large, draconic wings along with a snake-like tail.

"Tsk-tsk," The boy chided, shaking his head, "Have you learned nothing, Ash? Don't you remember what happened last time you fought me with a Flying-Type? Sandslash, use Rollout!"

Like a bullet, Sandslash curled into a ball and rocketed towards its opposition, crushing the very earth where it once stood.

"Ah!" Ash cried, not expecting the attack to be so blindingly fast, "Noivern, use Screech!"

Knowing how fast the speed of sound was, Noivern blitzed into the air and let out a deafening screech that was loud enough that everyone nearby could _see_ the sonic waves being created. Unfortunately, this did nothing to deter the rolling Sandslash and it barreled into Noivern's abdomen, cutting off the bat's attack and making him double over in pain before he was carried high into the air above, the two of them disappearing into the fog.

"Noivern, no!" Ash exclaimed as he watched his Pokemon disappear.

"I gotta admit, Ash," Said the boy, "That was a much better strategy than last time. It would've definitely worked on just about any opponent."

The boy's smirk turned sharp, "But I'm not _any opponent_. My Pokemon and I have trained ourselves for years to handle any situation! Sound is the least of our worries. Sandslash, use Crush Claw Assault!"

High above, the Sandslash heard its trainer's words with its incredibly heightened senses and flipped the two of them over so that Sandslash was now the one on top. It held out its massive claws and let out a bellow, causing its giant claws to glow a menacing black. It bent over and held its claws behind it, preparing a devastating strike.

"Noivern, quick!" Ash pleaded, "Use Dragon Pulse to push it off of you!"

Noivern's incredible hearing by birth allowed him to clearly hear his trainer's own words and in response, he blew an intense stream of purple fire into Sandslash's face in an attempt to stop its next attack. Though, it seemed to serve no purpose as Sandslash burst through the flames as though they were but ordinary air. The bat-wyvern couldn't even manage to let out a surprised shriek before he found himself assaulted by a flurry of devastating strikes from the Ground-Type. Each individual strike alone felt as if Noivern were being struck by a Blizzard, and he was getting struck by the thousands. The visible area around them became nothing but a mass of brown and black as Noivern was metaphorically torn to pieces.

"Like that attack, Ash?" The boy mocked, "It's a combination of Crush Claw and Fury Swipes. Took a good three months to master that one."

The boy's smirk grew further as he saw the look of questioning Ash gave him.

"Oh right," He said, "You can't see what's happening. How have you gone this long as a Pokemon Trainer without knowing how your Pokemon feel at all times?"

The boy shook his head and frowned, "There's a principle I've held deeply since the day I've become a Pokemon Trainer, Ash."

"Wha...what is it?" Ash asked, stunned.

The green and black-haired boy sent a look Ash couldn't even begin to describe directly into his eyes. It made him feel...well again, he couldn't describe it, other than the fact that it made him feel horrible, to say the least.

"A Pokemon Trainer doesn't deserve to call themselves a Pokemon Trainer if they aren't willing to feel the pain their Pokemon do on a daily basis...but I can see you _have_ felt that pain before."

"W-what?" Ash stammered.

"You'd be surprised what someone can see when they look hard enough. Besides, I'm not wrong, right? You have one Pokemon who you bond with more than the others...far more. So much more, that there are times where you can practically see through their eyes, right?"

"How did you-"

"I know because that's how I feel all the time when I battle. To be honest, there are times where I forget who's who because I'm so caught up in the thrill of the fight. You've felt that too, right? Looking into your eyes, I can see it. You've felt it on a whole other level than I could imagine...but only with _that_ Pokemon, right? And that one isn't even with you, are they?"

"I…"

The boy shook his head, "It doesn't matter. I can see you love your Pokemon, and that's all that I can ask for."

The boy turned his back to Ash, "But there may come a time that you will need that bond...a time where your life and the life of others might depend on it. Though you've managed to get through many of those scenarios without that bond, one's luck can only run so much before it's dry...this battle is over. I have seen all I needed. Sandslash, finish it."

"Wha-?!"

Ash's cry was cut short as Noivern rocketed down from the fog into the ground below. A mountain of dirt rocketed from his crash course, forcing Ash and Serena to look away for fear of being blinded. When the dust cleared, Ash saw with widened eyes his Noivern flat on his back, knocked out completely with Sandslash standing triumphantly on his chest, a claw embedded in the crater they were in inches away from the bat-wyvern's neck. With a grunt, Sandslash ripped its claw out from the dirt and leaped upwards, landing in front of its trainer.

"Amazing job as always," The boy complimented, "You deserve a good rest."

With that, Sandslash was returned to its Pokeball in a familiar flash of red.

"...Oh, right!" The boy shouted in realization, "I almost forgot the whole reason I was here! HEY, OPEN UP! I AIN'T DONE WITH YA JUST YET!"

Ash watched in stunned silence as his opponent completely reverted back into that aggressive loudmouth, replacing the sage that once stood in his place.

Serena ran up to him, "Ash...are you okay?"

"Never better!" Ash shouted heartily, nearly making Serena trip.

"Wha?! B-bu-"

"I lost badly, I know. But that kid's right, ya know? It just goes to show ya there's always a bigger fish, so to speak."

Serena's jaw dropped at Ash's resolution. He just got decimated in battle both verbally and physically, yet here he was with a bright smile acting as if he had just won the lottery and was wracking his brain as to everything he could use his money on. A smile managed to creep up her face despite this. Yep. This was her Ash, all right.

"Oh, hey!" Ash called, "You forgot to tell me your name!"

"Oh," The boy said in realization. He chuckled, "Heh, guess we're both guilty then in a way. "Name's AJ."

"AJ," Ash repeated, "...Yeah, I won't be forgetting that name anytime soon."

"You'd better not, 'less you want another beatdown!" AJ stated with a laugh.

As Ash waved and turned to leave, he was stopped in his tracks as Serena grabbed the arm of his shirt to pull him back.

"Huh?" Ash asked, "What's up?"

"Weren't we supposed to be getting him to stop harassing the school?"

Ash blinked, "Oh yeah, I'd completely forgotten!"

"Hey AJ!" Ash called back, running towards the school's front door, "Why do you even want to get into this school anyways? You're clearly beyond anything a school could teach you."

AJ shook his head, "Now that's where you're wrong. Not too long ago, a trainer beat me soundly. He only used two of his Pokémon to wipe out my entire team."

Ash and Serena's jaws dropped.

"Wow," Serena exclaimed.

"No way…" Ash said in awe.

AJ nodded solemnly, "It was years ago, but ever since that day I've felt I was...missing something. I've trained my body and mind to their extremes with my team right beside me, and yet still I felt something wasn't where it should be."

"Well, nobody's perfect," Offered Serena.

"You really think a school like this will even help?" Ash asked.

AJ shook his head and shrugged, "After that experience, I'm willing to try just about anything."

"Jeez, he sounds absurdly strong!" Ash commented. "What's this guy's name?"

AJ clenched his fists, letting out a long-winded sigh, "...His name...was Tobias. He used Pokémon I've never even dreamed of...I never stood a chance against him back then. Even now, I couldn't imagine beating him."

"Oh," Ash exclaimed, "You've met Tobias too?"

"YOU MET HIM?!"

Serena put a hand to her chin in thought, "Hey, Ash, didn't you mention this Tobias guy before we fought the Pewter City Gym?"

Ash nodded with a grin, "Yeah, Tobias was the strongest guy I've ever faced. I barely managed to beat his Darkrai, and Pikachu here had to use everything he had in order to beat his Latios."

"Chu, Pika!" Pikachu exclaimed proudly.

"YOU BEAT TWO OF HIS POKÉMON?!" AJ bellowed, mouth agape.

Ash nodded, "Yeah, but it was all the way in the Sinnoh Region. I dunno what he was doing out here, but to be honest, my team wasn't exactly suited to battle him either. My Torkoal and Swellow went down pretty much immediately. Though, I'm still far from facing him even at my best."

"Then...what was his third?"

Ash shrugged, "Dunno. Pikachu and Latios ended up in a tie, so I never got to find out?"

"You didn't ask?!"

"Did you?"

Serena made a small "o" with her mouth at Ash's unintentional jibe, but didn't dare to actually make the sound.

"...Fair point," AJ conceded, "But back to the matter at hand. I ain't moving 'till that school lets me in!"

He turned back to the door, "ALRIGHT, YOU HAVE THIRTY SECONDS BEFORE I-"

"Woah woah woah woah woaaaah," Serena interrupted, nonagressively waving her hands and putting herself between AJ and the door, "How about we solve this...peacefully?"

Serena did her best to maintain a grin amidst her nervousness, sweating profusely all the while AJ gave her an unamused look and Ash just chuckled nervously from behind them.

"...Fine," AJ conceded, "But if they turn ya down, then Arceus 'imself is the only thing keepin' these doors in one piece!"

"Wait," Ash said, "Since there are two doors, wouldn't they already be considered more than o-"

" _SHADDAP_!"

Back to the matter at hand, Serena politely gave the door a light knock. Stepping back, she looked up at the large doors, but of course they remained silent and unmoving. She could practically feel AJ judging her from behind.

"Okaaaay," Serena chimed, "Anybody in theeere?"

The massive metal doors continued to stand, unmoving and silent in their blockade.

"C'mon, we just wanna talk to you!"

"Speak for yourself," AJ muttered, to which Serena shot a glare back at him.

Serena tried knocking once more, "We don't mean any harm! We just want to talk to your…"

She turned to AJ.

"Principal?"

AJ simply shrugged.

"Whoever's in charge!"

Once again, the massive metal doors remained stalwart in their silence. That is, until a meek voice spoke out.

"Get outta here!" The small-sounding voice cried, "You can't get into our school, so just butt out!"

This notion was met with a mass of whispered hushing.

"Be quiet!" A voice not-so discreetly whisper-yelled, "You want 'em to know we're still here?!"

"Yeah!" Another one followed suit, "Did you _see_ that fight they had! If they know we're here, we'll get crushed!"

"Both of you, shut up!" A female voice spat, "They've definitely heard you by now, idiot!"

"Oh, so you _were_ listening this whole time!" AJ growled, pushing past Serena to get to the doors, "You heard the lady; I just wanna talk to ya, so open up!"

"Get outta here, you fat gorilla!" The small voice cried out, only to be met with a storm of furious hushing once more.

" _WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY, YOU LITTLE PUNK?!_ " AJ roared, " _THAT'S IT! SANDSLASH, RIP THOSE DOORS A NEW ONE!"_

Amidst the terrified screams emanating from behind the school doors, AJ tossed down the Pokeball containing his trusted partner. In a flash of white, the Sandslash appeared with death in its eyes. Serena tried to stop the two of them, but Ash pulled her back. When she looked back at him, Ash simply closed his eyes and shook his head. Sandslash marched up the doors, making everyone on the other side bellow screams in horror. The immensely powerful Ground-Type sliced into each door like paper with each claw and ripped them straight out of their hinges, sending them flying to the wind and exposing the terrified pile of children huddled against the wall inside.

"Now we're gettin' somewhere!" AJ said with a threatening smirk, cracking his knuckles, "Nice job, Sandslash!"

"We're all gonna die!" One of the children cried.

"You killed us!" Another screamed.

"I-I'm s-sorry!" The small voice from earlier stuttered out, clearly crying.

Their screaming was cut short when AJ stamped his foot on the wooden floor of the school. Immediately, the children all silenced themselves and hunched themselves together for fear of their lives.

"Alright," AJ announced, "Who's the brat that insinuated that my visible features were akin to that of a primitive mammal who's stomach area was more obviously obese than the average individual?"

Nobody in the room dared to answer, both for fear of the green-haired man before them and for lack of understanding of what exactly he was talking about.

"Geez, and you people are supposed to be smart," AJ deadpanned, "Okay, lemme put this in terms the likes of you would understand."

AJ cleared his throat and paused, scanning the room completely and making any his vision fell upon flinch. Smirking, he finally spoke once more.

" _NOW IF YA'LL INTEND TO SURVIVE THIS HERE INCIDENT, I EXPECT THE LITTLE PUNK WHO CALLED ME A FAT GORILLA AT MY FEET WITHIN THE NEXT TEN SECONDS!_ "

The children huddled against the walls began panicking, unsure of whether or not to give the kid up to this terror before them.

" _TEN, NINE_ ,"

"Ash, we have to do something!" Cried Serena.

Ash stared blankly at AJ from behind, unsure of what to do.

"I get you," Ash started, "But...I have this weird feeling. I don't think he's actually gonna do anything."

"That's just a feeling, though!"

"And how far have we gotten on those?"

" _EIGHT, SEVEN,_ "

The children in the room were furiously screaming their lungs out, eager to urge one another towards the monster in their midst simply to end the madness. Some were wailing with tears falling from their eyes in desperate fear.

" _SIX, FIVE,_ "

"That might be true," Serena admitted, "But what do you think will happen when he reaches zero?!"

Ash shrugged, "If he wanted someone dead, those claws would have made contact with Noivern's head earlier."

" _FOUR, THREE,"_

"Just push someone out!" One of the children cried.

"No," The maturish female voice ordered, "Throw _him_ out! He's the reason this is happening!"

"No, please, I'm sorry!"

" _TWO, ONE,_ "

"Ash, are you sure about this?" Serena asked nervously.

"Trust me, Serena, the things you learn about someone through battle are vast. He's not gonna hurt those kids. You know me, Serena, if AJ was actually going to hurt them, we'd already be fighting again."

"I suppose so…"

" _ZERO! ALRIGHT, TIME'S U-_ "

Suddenly, a small boy was ejected forcefully from the crowd of huddling kids. He fell unto his hands and knees, tripping from the forcefulness of the push from behind. Shakily, he tried to regain his composure and stand up, only to be greeted by the sight of the green-haired monster threatening their lives. Eyes dilating with dread, he shakily tried to crawl backwards only to bump into something. The young boy turned his head and let out a fearful cry that tore up the other students on the inside. Blocking his path was Sandslash who pointed his claws menacingly at him.

"Stand up," AJ ordered, making the boy jump.

"W-w-wha-"

"You heard me!" AJ roared, stamping his foot, "Stand up!"

With trembling knees, the small boy struggled to get onto his feet. Sandslash made poking motions at him as to urge him to speed up. Finally, the violently shaking boy managed to struggle onto his feet. He faced downwards, ashamed and afraid. AJ sneered down at the young bow, a scowl firmly placed upon his lip. The pressure finally overtook the child and tears fell from his face like a broken floodgate. AJ bent his legs so that his vision and the child's were on par. AJ sent a piercing glare at the child that nearly made him faint on the spot. The kid let out a fearful yelp as the green demon began outstretching his arm towards him. Closing his eyes and preparing for the worst, the boy gritted his teeth and awaited the end.

 _Flick!_

"Ow!" Cried the boy in surprise, rubbing his nose. Finally, it dawned on him. He was...alive? He looked up amidst his foggy eyes to see AJ still giving him a dirty look, though it had softened some.

"See?" Ash said, "What'd I tell you?"

"You the kid that insulted me back there?" AJ asked as he were in a completely normal scenario.

The kid simply stared at him, shell shocked and unsure of what to do.

"'Ey, wake up!" AJ shouted, snapping his fingers in the boy's face, "You the brat that called me a fat gorilla, or what?!"

Hesitantly, the child nodded. He was flicked in the forehead.

"Don't go insultin' people you don't even know, kid. Alright, git outta here."

With that, AJ ruffled the kid's hair and shoved him off to the side.

"Now, the rest of ya!" AJ roared, jabbing a finger in the rest of the kids' direction, making them flinch, "Did I hear you right back there?!"

" _Just push someone out? He's the reason this is happening?!_ "

AJ stamped his foot furiously, his Sandslash following suit and growling menacingly at them.

"Insultin' someone is one thing, but you? You were willin' to let one of your own die for your own sake?! _DISGUSTING!_ "

One of the huddling kids dared to speak up, "W-we were just-"

" _SHADDAP!_ "

The kid immediately bit back whatever his excuse would have been and stepped backwards further into the crowd. AJ scanned the crowd of kids with burning eyes. Not one of them was spared his gut-wrenching, fiery glare. Finally, his eyes landed on a rather mature-looking girl dressed in a frilly white skirt and matching white high heels.

"You!" AJ bellowed, making the girl jump.

"M-me?"

"Yeah, that's right! Don't think I didn't hear what you said back there! You were willin' to kill a kid just to scurry off with your own life?! What kinda teacher are you?!"

"T-teacher?"

Ash and Serena, meanwhile, were simply watching the whole ordeal go down either boredly or with baited breath. Ash's partner's ear twitched suddenly when he picked up an odd noise from the side. Turning his vision to investigate, he found that the noise was from a rustling bush. Hopping from his partner's shoulder, unbeknownst to Ash, Pikachu made his way over to the rustling bush only for it to immediately freeze once more. In confusion, Pikachu prodded the bush. No response. Pikachu opted to pry some of the branches on the inside of it, and yet still the bush failed to behave as it did previously. Finally, Pikachu simply opted to pry open the bush and found, to his disappointment, nothing. Sighing, the yellow mouse gave up on his efforts and hopped back onto his shoulders.

"Hmm?" Ash questioned, "You find something over there?"

* * *

Behind the trees, three familiar figures panted heavily at what could have almost happened. Team Rocket hid from their lifelong enemy in terror. Finally, one of them snapped.

"Meowth!" Jessie screeched, "Why did you have to go and nearly get us caught?!"

"ME?!" Meowth demanded, "If it weren't for your kicking, I wouldn't have been movin' in the 'foist place!"

"Well, if it wasn't for _your_ scratching, I wouldn't have had to kick you!"

"Well if _you_ didn't-"

"CAN YOU TWO BE QUIET?!" James roared, finally losing his patience. All three of them covered James's mouth in a desperate attempt of averting any attention drawn to them from the twerps. The three stooges shakily glanced over at the twerp and twerpette and to their relief, they hadn't noticed a thing. Letting out a sigh, the three relaxed themselves.

"That was a close one," James sighed.

"No thanks to you!" Hissed Jessie.

"Shaddap for a sec, you two," Meowth said, "We gotta come up wit' an idea to get the drop on the twerps."

"For, Pikachu!" Jessie cried.

"No, ya dolt!" Meowth bellowed, blowing Jessie out of her stupor, "Today, we've got a different goal in mind!"

"No Pikachu?" James asked, "Meowth, what strange language are you speaking?"

James's question was met with a Scratch to the face, making him cry out and hold the wound.

"It's only for today, you idiot, I know we can't give up on our life's work!"

"Alright, here's the plan," Meowth started, bringing in his comrades closer, "Our objective for today aint the Twerp's Pikachu. At least not until we blast off again."

The feline shook his head and grinned mischievously, "No, today's objective is that Sandslash!"

"The Sandslash?" James asked incredulously, "I think that one's out of our le-"

"That's brilliant, Meowth!" Jessie cried, shoving James aside, "If we steal something like that, catching Pikachu will be a snap!"

"Don't you two dunderheads get it?!" Meowth bellowed, giving Jessie a Scratch to match James, "Look at how powahful that Sandslash is! If we catch that Pokemon, we won't even _need_ Pikachu!"

"Not stealing Pikachu?!" James demanded, "We can't leave behind our life's work, Meowth, what are you thinking?!"

"James is right!" Agreed Jessie, "What's gotten into you?!"

"You still don't get it…" Meowth said, turning his back on his partners, "...We used to be executives amongst Team Rocket, remember? Our white uniforms used to represent power, but now we're considered jokes amongst the rest of Team Rocket! I used to be The Boss's right-hand mon, but now he's replaced me with that infuriatin' Persian! It's all because we got caught up with that Pikachu!"

"Meowth…"

"Sorry, Jess, but I can't continue like this. I wanna be...important again, you know! Not some loser missin' eight of his nine lives gettin' electrocuted from tryin' to get a Pikachu…"

"I'm ashamed of you, Meowth!" James snarled, "We've only gotten this far _because_ we're losers!"

"James is right for once!" Jessie hissed, "Meowth, this life is the only one we know! Without Pikachu, what purpose do we have? So what if we catch some strong Sandslash? I mean, we can still catch it if you want, but the Twerp's Pikachu is the only reason any of us have had a _real_ purpose!"

Meowth hung his head, thinking deeply, "...Yeah...yeah, you're right…"

The former feline crime lord turned back to his friends, "I wouldn't trade this life for all the Sandslash's in the world!"

"That's the Meowth we know and love!" James cheered.

"Yeah!" Meowth cheered along, "Now let's get dat Pikachu!"

"And we can get that Sandslash as a bonus!" Jessie joined in.

"Team Rocket, back in action! Losers till the end!" The three of them cheered loudly, only to realize their mistake and cover each other's mouths.

* * *

"So, this school is run by students?" AJ demanded from the girl.

"Erm, yes…"

"And you're…"

"Giselle. I...never graduated because of the Final Exam."

"But this school is run by students, right? Who even passes out work?"

"This place is called the Pokemon _Tech_ School, you know," Giselle explained, "Everything that isn't run by students is run by machinery. It's up to students to teach and test each other before each exam."

"That's downright stupid!" AJ roared, making everyone in the room flinch, "What if none of the students know one particular thing, huh? Then _everyone_ fails!"

"You tell 'em, AJ!" Ash cheered. He wasn't exactly too pleased with the school's formatting either.

"S-sorry, sir, but that's just the way the school is. No changing it, I'm afraid."

" _LIKE HELL THERE IS!"_

Everyone in the room, save Ash and Serena, either jumped at AJ's sudden change in voice tone or scrambled into one another, bumping their heads due to being startled.

AJ gave Giselle a toothy grin, "While I'm here, I'm gonna make sure there are many changes 'round here."

"Y-you can't just barge your way into the school and be a student!" One of the kids bravely yelled.

"That right?" AJ challenged, turning to the voice, "Who's gonna stop me?! One of you?"

"I'll have you know," Giselle hissed, gaining back AJ's attention, "This esteemed school is run and funded by the Official Pokemon League of Kanto! Eventually, someone will-"

"Challenge me?" AJ interrupted with a sneer, "Please. I can take anyone you got! For instance…"

AJ pointed a finger at Ash, "This trainer right here is the second strongest trainer I've ever faced, and he has...um...how many badges do you have?"

Ash put a hand to his chin in thought and began attempting to count the amount of Badges he'd collected over the years.

"Hey, Serena?" Ash asked, "What's eight times six?"

"Forty-eight."

I have forty-eight badges. Plus, the two I've recently recollected, so fifty badges."

"Fifty badges from his travels!" AJ finished, "And you saw how our fight went earlier, didn't you? No offense, Ash."

"None taken."

Giselle began sweating bullets, frantically attempting to ravage her mind for anything to protect her autho- to protect the children from this monster's wrath. Taking notice of this AJ smirked smugly.

"Can't think of anything, can ya?"

"Why do you even want to get into this school?!" Giselle demanded, "Street thugs like you are better suited for spending their time in an alley!"

"Street thug?!" AJ demanded. His Sandslash turned his claws in Giselle's direction threateningly, "This coming from someone who'd willingly throw a kid to the wolves?! The only thug here is _you_."

Giselle was about to hiss a retort when the entire building shook from a sudden shockwave. The kids all stumbled and fell over each other as if they were dominos. The particularly small child from earlier struggled to keep his balance, but finally succumbed to the effects of the shockwave. He was inches away from falling headfirst into a corner when AJ, thinking quickly, made a mad dive for the young boy, barely knocking them both away before any damage could be done.

"You okay kid?" Asked AJ, standing back up with the boy in his arms, the shockwave dissipating.

"Y-yeah. My name's Joah, by the way."

"By the way, Joah," AJ said, letting the boy down, "You're a bit young for a school like this aren't you?"

Joah looked down, "...My brother, Joe, graduated from this school in minimum time and used the money he got as a graduation reward by the school to send me here…"

AJ gave the kid a toothy grin, "This Joe guy sounds pretty interesting. You'll have to introduce me sometime."

Joah stared up at AJ with his mouth agape. To think minutes ago, this guy was terrorizing his school and bellowing like a madman. The young student couldn't help mimicking the grin thrown his way.

"Heh," AJ chuckled, ruffling the kid's hair, "I'll be right back, kid. Ash, and um...girl that's following him, come with me! I'm gonna find out what that shockwave was! The rest of you, stay here! Don't you dare move a muscle until I get back!"

"Yeah, sure thing!"

"My name's Serena," Serena huffed, but followed anyways.

The trio raced to the back exit of the school, blasting past a protesting Giselle who still had fuel for their argument. Upon bursting out the back door, they came across a large pool. The exposed pool had a large, gated fence coated in barbs surrounding the perimeter. The trio noticed nothing out of the ordinary until AJ noticed something out of the corner of his eye. Looking upwards, Ash and Serena followed his gaze to find a massive indent on the wall of the school with smoke emanating from it. AJ scowled at the sight while his two followers simply gaped at it.

" _WHOEVER DID THIS BETTER FESS UP BEFORE I FIND YOU MYSELF!_ " Bellowed AJ.

"Whoever did this? Who could that be?" A masculine voice said.

"Find us? Why, there's no need!" A feminine voice called out

"You know us well and good, we're the familiar three!" A heavily accented voice followed.

Serena sighed, "Of course it's them."

"What, you know them?!" AJ demanded.

"Unfortunately," Ash answered with a sigh.

Three figures darted out of the smoke, landing in the pool with a large splash. Frantically, they scrambled to get themselves back onto dry land and hopped out of the pool to regain their composure.

"Prepare for trouble!" The feminine voice announced.

"And make it double!" The masculine voice followed suit.

"To protect the world from devastation!"

"To unite all peoples within our nation!"

"To denounce the evils of truth and love!"

"To extend our reach to the stars above!"

"Jessie!"

"James!"

"Team Rocket, blasting off at the speed of light!"

"Surrender now, or prepare to-"

" _SAVE IT, YOU OXYGEN-WASTING CLOWNS!_ "

The opposing trio nearly tripped on themselves as their signature motto was torn to pieces in an instant.

"Hey, didn't your mother ever tell you that interrupting somebody else's motto was rude?!" James demanded.

"Yeah, and I didn't git ta introduce myself!" Meowth complained.

"More rude than attempting to blow up a school?!"

"You were on the verge of doing that too," Serena deadpanned.

"What kind of a psychopath do you take me for?!"

"No matter!" Cried Meowth, "Anyways, we're here for dat Sandslash of yours, greenie!"

"You'll never get Pika- ...wait, what?"

"That's right twerp," Jessie said with a malicious grin, "For now, we've got a different objective in mind, so don't you worry your pretty little head."

"That is, until we get our hands on dat Sandslash!" Meowth chimed in, "Don't worry, we'll be back for your Pikachu soon enough!"

The trio began laughing maliciously until they were snapped out of their stupor by a familiar quote.

"Pikachu, use Thunderbolt!"

"NO, WAIT!" James cried, waving his arms furiously in an attempt to stop Pikachu's attack from firing, "We're not here for you today, you know! Why are you butting in?!"

"You're attacking a school?" Ash deadpanned.

"But we're not attacking _you_!"

"Pikachu, use-"

"Would you stop that?!"

AJ stamped his foot, "I don't know who the heck you people think you are, but you think you can just barge into a school, terrorize a bunch of kids, and more importantly, STEAL _MY_ PARTNER?!"

"That's what we do, yup!" Jessie replied with a bright smile.

" _ASH, OTHER GIRL, STAND BACK, THEY'RE MINE!_ " Bellowed, AJ, deafening everyone in the vicinity.

"My name is Serena!" Serena roared back, covering her ears.

"Sandslash, tear 'em up!"

"Slaaaash!" Sandslash roared, sharpening its claws.

"Alright then, go Inkay and Carnivine!"

"Go, Gourgeist and Yanmega!"

Surrounding Sandslash, four Pokemon appeared in brilliant flashes of white from their Pokeballs. In one corner, the familiar venus fly trap Pokemon appeared once more. To Sandslash's left, a small squid-like Pokemon with a pink, ethereal top on its head appeared. To it's right, a massive, green dragonfly appeared. Finally, a slender, brown Pokemon with orange, glowing eyes and a mouth with long, pink hair draped over its face appeared behind it. Even odder, it appeared to be sitting inside a large, smiling jack-o-lantern. The pumpkin Pokemon chuckled darkly in a shrill, high-pitched voice and gave Sandslash a menacing look, to which Sandslash simply gave it a gleaming glare back.

"Oh," AJ snarled, "So you cowards can't even fight me in a one on one, huh?!"

"Um," Jessie deadpanned, "If you haven't realised now, we're not exactly good guys. We don't play by the rules."

AJ scoffed, "Figures, not that it matters anyways. Sandslash, let's

show these cretins who's boss!"

"Gourgeist, Yanmega, capture this thing at all costs! Use Shadow Ball and Air Slash!"

"You too, Inkay and Carnivine! Use Psybeam and Energy Ball!"

"Sandslash, you know what to do." AJ stated with a grin, to which Sandslash followed suit.

Yanmega flapped its wings intensely, creating an intense wave of air. Gourgeist's hair separated and turned into two arms with hands that formed a black ball of energy in its hands and fired it. Carnivine raised its head, its large mouth glowing a bright emerald green before spitting a ball of green energy at it's opposition. Finally, Inkay's pink head glowed brightly and it shot out a thin beam of dark pink energy at Sandslash. Sandslash and AJ simply smirked and and soon enough, the Ground-Type disappeared from sight in a blur and all the attacks stopped in place.

"U-um," James stuttered, "Wha-"

"No, wait, give it a second." AJ interrupted, his smirk ever-present on his face.

Suddenly, cross-marks appeared like webs all over each attack and they dissipated, exploding into fragments that were sent directly back into the attacker's faces. The four cried out and scrambled backwards as their own energy was scattered back into their eyes. Yanmega in particular flailed wildly and scrambled into a wall, frenzied by its blindness and nearly lost its flight.

Sandslash appeared once more with its back turned underneath the flailing dragonfly in a blur. It turned its glance behind it, its eyes gleaming for a moment before it sprung upwards and jabbed its claw directly into the Pokemon's chest, making it hunch over from the force of the strike. The two rocketed into the foggy skies, splitting the very clouds as they went.

"Yanmega!" Jessie cried as she watched her Pokemon rocket off. Her eyes snapped angrily to AJ who was still smirking cockily at her.

"Why you-!"

James, on instinct, quickly lept forward to latch hold onto Jessie, dragging her backwards as to not straddle their opponent to death. Heck, even _she_ might end up being the one getting straddled, he honestly didn't know at this point.

"Cool it, Jess!" James shouted, "Focus on the Sandslash!"

Though, his words fell on deaf ears and Jessie soon broke from her partner in crime's grasp, shoving him backwards as she did. James stumbled backwards from the push and slipped on the water nearby that had resulted from their earlier breaching of the pool. Speaking of the pool, it was just that that James's apparent destination would become, resulting in a large splash as he fell in. Soon enough, James resurfaced with an unamused look on his face, spitting out a small stream of the pool water that had entered his mouth.

"Well, a least Carnivine is no longer trying to eat me," James stated with a sigh.

"Alright, you," Jessie hissed, pointing a finger at AJ, "You are officially on our Twerp List!"

"Wait, you was keepin' track?" Meowth asked, honestly a little impressed.

"What?!" Jessie demanded, "You mean you _weren't_?!"

The two Team Rocket members were snapped out of their conversation by an eerie, high-pitched noise. The two of them and James, who was still struggling to get out of the pool due to his soaked clothing weighing him down, stopped in their tracks to look around for the annoying noise when something rocketed downward from the foggy heavens above directly into the pool, making the water shoot upwards like a geyser. James let out an oddly high-pitched scream as he was ejected from the pool high above, only to come crashing down onto his face with a loud thud that made Ash and Serena cringe. James slowly picked himself up with a defeated moan, showing his flattened, reddened face, though his tired look turned to fear as he let out a girlish screech when Sandslash appeared before him with his back turned away from him, facing towards Jessie and Meowth.

Meowth followed James's lead, letting out a terrified scream of his own and backing away, whereas Jessie glanced in the pool to see her fallen Yanmega lying unconscious at the empty pool's bottom. Scowling, she returned her Pokemon to its Pokeball and growled at Sandslash who simply baited Jessie by curling its claw towards itself tauntingly.

"Why you-!" Jessie grated, her eyes twitching. The female Team Rocket member bolted at the Ground-Type, attempting to grab it but Sandslash simply blurred out of harm's way once more. An enraged Jessie frantically looked for her prey, only for it to zip away every time she managed to lay her eyes on it.

"That's it!" Jessie screamed, "Gourgeist, use Phantom Force! Carnivine, use Vine Whip! Inkay, use Dark Pulse!"

"Wait, you're using my Pokemon?!" James protested, but once again, his voice fell on deaf ears.

The eerie Pumpkin Pokemon giggled maniacally, covering its glowing mouth with its hair and seemingly phased into the ground, disappearing from sight. Carnivine lashed out with an elongated vine that appeared from the large mess of bramble on its underside in an attempt to string Sandslash into a hold. Sandslash simply crossed its arms as the vine grabbed hold of it around its waist and Inkay opened its beak to charge a pulsating mess of violently swirling, dark energy before spitting it out as a beam. Sandslash held up its clawed hand and flicked the Dark Pulse back at its unleasher, knocking the small squid-like Pokemon into a gated fence that bounced it back into the empty pool.

The dragonfly Pokemon Yanmega blinked its compound eyes as it regained consciousness. What the heck just happened? Its mind felt incredibly woozy as it attempted to regain flight. Yanmega lurched back down as a sudden pain in its chest flashed out of nowhere, making it hunch over. Though, this pain did not last long as an unconscious Inkay slammed itself into Yanmega's head, making the dragonfly topple once more.

"Two for two," AJ cheered. Jessie, infuriated, pulled down on her incredibly long hair in an attempt to alleviate her frustration.

"That's it, Twerp!" She bellowed, "Carnivine, send this little brown rat skyward!"

"Vine!" Carnivine replied with a nod. Readying itself, the fly trap Pokemon attempted to fling its opposition into the foggy clouds above just as the Ground-Type did to its comrade earlier, only to find that his victim wasn't budging. Raising a grassy eyebrow, Carnivine gazed upwards from its focus on its Vine Whip to Sandslash to see that it was giving him an...odd look to say the least. It was just an empty stare, as if the Ground-Type was staring right through Carnivine. Without warning, Sandslash shot its arms downward, slicing off the Vine Whip.

"VIIIIINE!" Carnivine cried out in pain as its appendage was cut off. Though, the vine would regenerate back on its own, that still didn't mean it didn't hurt incredibly. Carnivine attempted to retract the remainder of its vine on instinct, only for Sandslash to snap its arm down and pinch the vine between its two claws, acting as if they were pincers. In a panic, Carnivine attempted to lurch its vine back, only for Sandslash to do the same. Carnivine was flung upwards, only being kept from disappearing into the fog by its own severed appendage.

"Time to take 'em for a ballroom blitz!" AJ ordered from the sidelines.

Nodding, Sandslash began twirling its wrist around and the poor Carnivine found itself spinning in a large circle high above the ground, helpless as it dangled from the ground by its own vine. Sandslash sped up, and Carnivine cried out as it was hurtled back and forth across the grey skies. Finally, Sandslash turned around and slammed its arm downward, sending the Grass-Type hurtling downwards, smashing into the empty pool with its comrades.

"Carnivine, Inkay, NO!" James cried for his fallen comrades, diving into the empty pool after his Pokemon.

"And then there was one," Stated AJ.

As if on cue, Gourgeist appeared once more out from underneath the ground with a twisted smile plastered on its face, its eyes gleaming dangerously as it readied a Shadow Ball, pointing it at Sandslash's back. Though, before the geist Pokemon could react, Sandslash whirled around in a blur, its claws drenched in a purplish-black energy as it readied to strike. Gourgest's smile practically ripped itself from the Pokemon's face, replacing it with a black, almost dumbfounded-looking frown as Sandslash's attack stopped itself mere inches away from Gourgeist's face. Taking the hint, the Pumpkin Pokemon dissipated its attack, turned away from the Sandslash, and floated over to Jessie, tapping its Pokeball to return itself.

"Looks like we're fresh out of challengers," AJ stated confidently, "That is, unless that talking Meowth of yours is willing."

Meowth's fur stood on end as he was called out, "I'm good, 'tanks."

"Thought so. Would ya mind jumping in that pool for me?"

Meowth paused, looking over his options and glancing back and forth between Jessie and AJ before finally sighing.

"Jess, sometimes ya just gotta know when to quit, ya know?"

With that, Meowth casually turned around and hopped into the empty pool to join the rest of his friends.

"You too, pinkie." AJ ordered.

"Got it…" Jessie said, admitting defeat and walking over to the edge of the pool and dropping down.

"Alright, Sandslash, use Rock Climb!"

Sandslash nodded back to his friend and leaped into the air before bolting back down at the edge of the pool, causing a pillar of stone to jolt upwards before setting back down into place, sending Team Rocket flying.

"Hey, Jess, you gonna add this to our list of failures?" Meowth asked as he and the others hurtled through the skies.

"Meowth, nobody could keep track of _that_ ," James piped in, "How many people do you know that keep a journal of their life story again?"

"Well, we're back up against Pikachu next time, so there's at least a chance to win," Jessie stated.

"And remember," Meowth said, "We're Team Rocket: Losers till the end!"

"TEAM ROCKET'S BLASTING OFF AGAIN!"

 _Ding!_

"AND STAY OUT!" AJ roared, a grin plastered on his face.

"Uh, AJ?" Ash inquired.

Serena finished Ash's thought for him, "I think you've got another problem on your hands."

AJ raised an eyebrow, not seeing how anything could outdo the three clowns in white until he saw the large hoard of kids with eyes as wide as dinner plates staring at him in either awe or horror.

"Oh geez," AJ complained, pinching his temple, "What are you kids doing out here?! Didn't I say to stay inside?!"

The awe turned to horror. Some of the kids began attempting to inch their way back inside, only to find that Sandslash was now blocking their way.

"Listen here, buster," Giselle spat, summoning the courage, "You aren't the boss of these kids around here! _I_ am. You think you can just wedge your way in here and-"

"Shut up."

Giselle was shoved aside by AJ with those infuriating words ringing in her ears. In awe of her dismissal, all she could do was look at AJ with an appalled look on her face.

"Alright, kids," AJ bellowed, making his audience flinch, "Why'd you all come out here when I _specifically_ told you lot to stay inside?!"

"W-well we-" One of the kids tried to say, only to be silenced by AJ stamping his foot down.

"Well NOTHIN'! Do you kids even know how badly you coulda been hurt out here?! WELL, DO YA?!"

"S-sorry, sir!" All the students cried out simultaneously, bowing their heads.

AJ shook his head, "Sorry ain't cuttin' it this time! When I take over, I'm gonna be makin' some _big_ changes around here!"

Everyone else, Ash and Serena included, did a double take.

"Umm," Serena said, "What do you mean by take over?"

"Exactly that!" AJ answered matter-of-factly, "To be honest, I probably wouldn't get very far as a student."

"Then leave!" Giselle bellowed.

"...Which is why _I_ will be taking control over all teaching's in this district."

"WHAT?!" Giselle demanded, pushing past one of the children in order to get to AJ, "You have no authority here! you're just some kid that came out of nowhere and demanded entry! You can't just-"

" _Watch me_." AJ hissed.

Giselle stepped back, fear evident in her eyes, but still she continued, "When the Indigo League hears about this, they'll-"

"Fail to do anything to get me to leave. If you want to leave and go tattletail on me like some kind of child, be my guest. If you want to be known as the girl that continuously failed her exams and flunked out, be my guest. If you want to bring over some League official or something, be my guest, because you and I both know there is _nothing_ you or they can do."

Some of the children made little "oooooh" noises and, to be honest, Serena found herself hard-pressed not to do the same. Giselle was absolutely dumbfounded. She was infuriated at this...this _nobody_ 's sheer nerve, and yet even she knew she could do absolutely nothing to stop him. She growled, clenching her fists tightly to the point that her nails dug into the palms of her hands and let out an exasperated huff before stomping off.

"Think she'll be alright?" Ash asked, to which AJ simply shrugged uncaringly.

"She'll have to. She can't exactly _leave_ , so she doesn't have any choice but to warm up to me eventually."

Ash let out a light chuckle, "Yeah, you're probably right. I'm just surprised that you're actually gonna _teach_ these kids."

"What, do you not think I can do it?!" AJ bellowed.

Ash shook his head frantically, a sweatdrop dripping down his head.

"No, no. You already managed to teach me something in the span of a single battle, and I'm already a pretty seasoned trainer. Teaching a bunch of kids probably wouldn't be too hard, it's just that I wouldn't think you'd want to."

"Well the thing is," Said AJ, pointing to the kids behind him with his thumb, "You were right about earlier. After seeing what these kids do at this school on a daily basis, I wouldn't learn a thing here. However, I was thinking… Maybe a teacher could learn from their students."

"Wow," Exclaimed Serena, "I'm impressed. I thought you would have up and left by now, but you're actually a lot more mature than I thought."

"What, are you saying I wasn't mature before?!"

"I retract my statement."

As the two trainers heatedly began arguing their lungs away, Ash could only hopelessly laugh at their expense. The children only looked on, unsure of how to react to the situation. They dared not laugh for fear that AJ's wrath would be turned on them, so they simply stood still awaiting whatever hells their new teacher had in store.

* * *

"By the way," Serena piped up to one of the students as she and Ash made their way to the destroyed entrance of the school, "We met another student out in the woods shortly before we came here. He looked a bit older than the rest of you, save that Giselle girl, and had matted-down, grey hair. You see him?"

"Huh?" The student asked, "We don't have anyone like that at our school."

"Yeah you do!" Ash protested, "We saw him outside before we came here! He specifically said he went to _this_ school."

"That's weird," The student commented, "Did you get his name?"

Serena shook her head, "No, but he had these weird, swirly glasses."

The student's eyes widened and she froze in place, "D-did you say swirly glasses?!"

Serena sweatdropped, "U-um, yeah, what's the problem?"

The young girl bit her lip and looked around nervously, "That "kid" was a student who never made it past the bottom class of this school. I'm new here, so I don't know much about the details of the story, but-"

"That guy's name was Jeremy Armstrong." Came a familiar voice from behind the group.

Marching up the halls with her hands on her hips came Giselle with an irritated look on her face. She gave the student a look and ushered her off with the nodding of her head, indicating the student to leave.

"I'll take care of the storytelling from here, if you two don't mind."

"Uhh, sure, but," Ash said, "Did you really need to brush off that kid?"

Ignoring the question, Giselle scrunched up her face and leaned over into Ash's uncomfortably closely. Ash was forced to lean backwards to stop Giselle's advance and Serena gaped at the women's audacity. Giselle blinked a few times before directing her glance on Pikachu, who was happily sitting on Ash's shoulders until now. Finally, Giselle stopped leaning over the two and crossed her arms.

"I'm only telling you this because you beat me before."

"I beat you?" Ash asked, attempting to remember the event.

Giselle sighed, "Yes. I'd recognize that Pikachu of yours that beat my Cubone anywhere, but I'm sure you've beaten many trainers, so I would only be a name on the pile to you, but it did happen and I'm going to get even with you for it by telling you this, got it?"

Ash sweatdropped, "S-sure."

Giselle huffed and continued her story, "Like I said, his name was Jeremy Armstrong. He was a student here long before I was. He was considered a prodigy despite being a bottom-class...but one day, he got in a terrible accident that nearly killed him. But even then, he came back. He tried his hardest until the day he died, spending every hour of every day studying, testing, failing, ...and repeating. Eventually, we found him dead underneath the same tree he was always studying underneath. We guessed the stress finally snapped his already broken brain."

"Wow," Ash said in awe, "This guy really fought to the end, didn't he?"

"Well, yes, that is what I said."

"But wait a minute," Serena interjected, "Again, we met that guy in the middle of the woods, and he looked like a kid!"

Giselle simply shrugged it off, "It's probably the fog just playing tricks on you. Don't let that stuff get to your head. Anyways, later."

With a lazy wave, Giselle dismissed the two of them and disappeared into a crowd of students.

As Ash and Serena stepped outside, they noticed the fog had finally disappeared. Ash squinted and shaded his eyes with his hand in order to look up amidst the harsh sunlight that had now taken place in the fog's stead.

"H-hey, Ash?" Serena stuttered shakily.

"Yeah, what's up?"

Serena twiddled her fingers nervously, "A-about that boy we met earlier...d-do you think that was a g-ghost?"

Wordlessly, Ash chuckled and let out a bright grin before beginning his trek back into the forest in order to get to their next goal of Viridian City.

"Ash?!" Serena screeched, "Hey, don't leave without me! And you didn't answer my question! Was that a ghost or not?! Ash?! Hey, Ash! _AAAAAAAASH!_ "

* * *

 _Iron Island, Sinnoh. A few hours after Necrozma's assault on the Orange Islands_.

A man dressed from head to toe in blue was rocked out of his meditation, furiously gasping for air. He shot a look towards his partner Lucario, a blue and black humanoid jackal with four short dreadlocks behind his ears and spikes on his chest and wrists, who gave him a similar look of extreme worry. This man was Riley, the last remaining Aura Guardian, and with that aura he felt _thousands_ perish in an instant. He could vaguely feel the struggle of some fight afterward, but the power of one of the fighters was shrouded in such malice that Riley was immediately blown from his concentration from merely attempting to peer into that power.

Suddenly, the entire island they were on began rocking furiously, nearly making the two partners collapse on the spot had they not trained themselves diligently as to be able to withstand such things. Though, withstanding something of this magnitude would prove immensely difficult if they did not evacuate the premises with all due haste. The two winced in agony as the vigorously shaking walls began secreting a high-pitched, ringing noise. Thinking quickly, the two of them managed to completely calm their minds and summon a light blue barrier around their shapes that prevented the Areus-awful noise from reaching their ears.

"Urgh!" Riley growled, "Whatever just happened to the Orange Islands must be affecting Iron Island! Lucario, is this happening to the rest of the world?!"

Lucario shook his head and replied using the bond of aura the two had accumulated over decades of training and partnership, " _Negative. Outside of the Orange Islands and whatever satellite islands were nearby, Iron Island is the only other place being affected by it due to the island being almost entirely made up of Iron. The shockwave must be ricocheting throughout the island due to its metal structure._ "

Riley scowled, "We must see how the Steel-Type Pokemon are. No doubt they're in agony right now…"

The two partners nodded in agreement and bolted on unsteady feet for the exit of the cave they resided in, jumping from wall to wall in order to make it out through the vent above them. Once they'd landed beside the hole, they were greeted to a sight from a horror story. Amidst the quakes, Steel-Type Pokemon all over the island were flailing furiously, ramming themselves into walls, rocks, each other, and any unfortunate non Steel-Type that found themselves in their paths. Already, massive hordes of Zubat and Golbat fled the islands throughout various protrusions of the island, not unlike the one Riley and his Lucario were just meditating in.

"By the Legends, it's even worse than Team Galactic!" Riley cried.

Suddenly, their attention snapped above them where only a few meters away from the top of the island, a wall suddenly exploded outwards, showing what was below with boulders. Thinking quickly, the two of them clasped each other's palms and closed their eyes in focus. A cyan barrier soon erupted from the two of them like a protective, ethereal dome, protecting them from the falling rocks. They winced each time one of the boulders impacted their shield, but what really perturbed them was when one of the rocks they deflected ended up rolling further down and crushing one of the crazed Pokemon below. Though, as much as Riley and his partner wished to assist the Steel-Types, they knew there was nothing they could do for them now. They were surrounded by ocean and the very island itself was responsible for their suffering.

" _We must head to the boat!_ " Lucario exclaimed once the boulders stopped falling, " _This island is on the verge of exploding any moment now!"_

"I know,my friend," Riley said, regret panging in his voice, "But I cannot help but grieve for the Pokemon that will not make it out with us."

" _Riley...I feel the same, but we both know there is no way to save them now._ "

"Even still, ...I can't help but feel that this will haunt me for the rest of my days."

" _It will haunt us both. You will not have to face this burden alone_."

"...Thank you, my friend. Thank you…"

The two partners nodded to each other and leapt from their perch over the base of the island, diving through a sea of black made by the swarm of fleeing Golbats. The sea of black opened and the two fell from the sky, impacting the ground with a loud thud and kicking up a large mound of metallic dust. A small wave of cyan rushed across the quaking ground to disperse the force of their impact.

Though, their impact dispersion seemed to have attracted some unwanted attention as many crazed Steel-Types turned their glares at the aura users. An Aggron in particular bellowed loudly at them in such a way that the pair could visibly see the sound waves rocketing past them. Luckily, their aura blocked almost all of the sound, but the others were not as fortunate. Now, even the Rock-Types scrambling around were forced to huddle up in balls, clenching their ears in order to lessen the agony this sound was causing them. Some of the Golbat and Zubat that were flying low began spasming horribly as their echolocation was interrupted by the Aggron's screech and began falling down into the ocean en masse.

"Metal Sound," Riley cursed, "Lucario, I will take care of this. You prepare the boat. I will not let anymore Pokémon die than I have to."

Riley's ever-faithful partner nodded in agreement and took off. He knew Riley was entirely capable of doing this himself. Riley turned his gaze back from where his partner once stood to face the raging Aggron with a pained scowl on his face.

"I know that you are suffering," Riley said with a shaking voice, "But I cannot allow you to inflict that suffering onto others!"

Riley shot an arm out to his side. A blue energy began crackling from his fingertips and shot forward into the palm of his hand, creating a large ball of auric energy. Riley lunged forward, kicking up stone from where he was once standing, and planted the blue ball into the Aggron's chest. The metal behemoth silenced its cry and hunched over in agony. Finally, Riley managed to push his arm forward and shot the sphere outward, taking the Aggron with it into a wall where the ball of energy exploded violently. Aggron's body could be seen collapsing, unconscious. Despite this, the Aura Guardian made his way over to the collapsed beast and gently put a hand on its head.

"I'm sorry," Riley said simply before turning around to catch up to his partner.

As the Aura Guardian ran, another part of the quaking island exploded outwards once more. Riley soon found himself jumping amidst a hail of metal and stone. Taking the knee, Riley launched himself upward, bouncing off rock after rock in order to keep himself from being crushed by them. One of the metallic meteorites sped at Riley at an incredible pace, but Riley was faster. Whipping around, Riley summoned a shield of blue around his fist and shattered the incoming stone. He launched himself from the airborne boulder he was currently standing on and touched ground once more. The Guardian clenched his fist and gritted his eyes shut as he felt the life force of hundreds disappear amidst the hailstorm of iron. There was nothing he could do for them either way, Riley kept saying to himself in his mind, for they would perish either way once the island finally gave way and exploded.

There he was. Lucario stood in front of a small speedboat that they would use to escape. Though tiny, so much so that Lucario usually had to stand on the helm of the boat, it had assisted them many times before in getting to and from the island to bring back supplies, as no plantation grew on the metal island they lived on, and it would assist them once more. Though before Riley could meet with his partner and escape the inevitable destruction of Iron Island, a colossal metal serpent burst from the horrifically-quaking ground with the familiar agonized, yet crazed look on its face.

Riley scowled and got into a battle position, summoning a swirl of blue around himself. Lucario was about to jump in until Riley spoke to him through their auric bond. The Aura Master told his partner to stay by the boat so they could make a quick getaway. Lucario sighed but obliged, hopping onto the helm of the boat and gripping the pull-mechanism so that once Riley had won, their escape would immediately follow. The metallic serpent, Steelix ripped open its jaws and began to let out a bellow, though Riley wasn't having it. He would not let more Pokemon needlessly die.

"Not this time!" Riley cried, launching himself skyward. The Aura guardian surrounded his fist in an intense, almost whirlpool-like swirl of glowing cyan and slammed it into the Steelix's chin. The metal serpent was sent flying, but it was far from done. While amidst the stormy night sky, Steelix opened its jaws and shot a glowing gray beam from its mouth directly beneath it.

"Flash Cannon," Riley noted. The Aura Master, in response, opened his hand and shot out an Aura Sphere from his palm, creating an explosion from the impact of the two attacks and coating the sky above him with smoke. This was, apparently, all according to the Steelix's plan as the serpentine Pokemon rushed down from amidst the smoke, aiming to catch Riley in a devastating Dig attack, but Riley was well prepared. Riley sensed the creature's intentions long before it could carry them out and once the Steelix burst from the smoke, it found Riley waiting for it with another Aura Sphere readied from the side of the impact site. Just before the crazed Steel-Type could crash into the ground, Riley fired the Aura Sphere into the side of its head and sent it sprawling across the iron-laced sand. Riley's attention was caught by another explosion. Looking up to the head of the island, he witnessed as a massive chunk exploded outwards, coating the seas below along with any Pokemon unfortunate enough to be in the storm of metal's path.

Riley's gaze snapped back as Steelix ripped itself from the ground beneath him with a bright light glowing from the serpent's gaping jaws. The Aura Master mentally berated himself for daring to look away from the fight before raising an arm to create a barrier with his aura to block the incoming fire. Steelix released another devastatingly powerful Flash Cannon from his jaws, impacting the barrier with enough force to push Riley drastically backwards, but Riley had yet another trick up his sleeve. With his free hand, Riley threw another Aura Sphere into Steelix, making it flinch and stop its assault. Riley used his free hand to mimic the motion of something opening outward, making the barrier spread outwards into a large, hollow orb. But it seemed this orb wasn't hollow at all, and soon, the entire orb began glowing a deep, grey color and beams that looked identical to Steelix's Flash Cannon began secreting from the inner walls of the orb until the orb regained its blue, auric hue and contained a massive ball of glowing gray within it. Steelix snapped itself out from its daze and glared at Riley, only to pale when it saw what had become of its attack. Riley let out an echoing battle cry as he threw the orb with enough force that tunnels of wind could be seen spreading from the orb's edges. The orb impacted the crazed Pokemon, ripping it from the ground and crashing the both of them into a wall, digging into it and letting out bright flashes of cyan before exploding violently in a dazzling, azure hue.

Riley had no time to gaze upon his...handiwork due to the ground's violent shaking picking up to the point where Riley's auric barrier around himself was having trouble protecting him. Riley turned towards the direction his Lucario was waiting for him and launched himself into a furious sprint, telling Lucario to start the engine. Lucario eagerly obliged and ripped the engine's pulling mechanism backward, initiating the boat to bolt off. Riley made a mad leap for the small boat and managed to land directly into the driver's seat; the _only_ seat it had, really.

Finally, the dynamic duo had escaped the Island's demise. Yet, guilt panged throughout their consciences as they continuously felt demise after demise of the Pokemon inhabiting Iron Island. The Pokemon they failed to save...the Pokemon they _couldn't_ have saved, they told themselves, no matter what. And they hated themselves for it. Their lack of preparation for such an event led to thousands of Pokemon being trapped on a dying island with no way out. Lucario placed a palm on his friend's shoulder, attempting to comfort Riley.

" _There was nothing we could do_ ," Lucario reminded his master, though Riley could hear the sorrow evident in his voice.

"I know…" Riley said, clenching his gloved hand, "But still-! I...I cannot help but grieve for them...their terror, their pain, _their death-!_ ...I felt them all...and yet I could do nothing!"

" _There is nothing wrong with grieving_ ," Lucario soothed, " _But I cannot allow you to live the rest of your life thinking this was your fault_. _Yes,_ we _could do nothing. We are either both to blame for our weakness and both responsible for their avenging_."

"A...Avenging?"

Lucario nodded, " _Yes. You felt it too, right before our meditating was interrupted, right? A massive power struck the earth, resulting in that shockwave making Iron Island tear itself apart. We must find that power and destroy it. We cannot allow such a calamity like THIS to ever happen again_."

Lucario motioned for Riley to look up. From their safe perch far away from the island, Riley and Lucario witnessed as their home crumbled slowly to nothing. They could hear the panicked and agonized screams of those still remaining on Iron Island slowly being silenced one by one. Finally, the island exploded. Violently. The Island in its entirety blew outwards, sending rock, metal, and Pokemon scattering across the skies and into the black depths below.

" _We cannot let this happen again, Riley!_ " Lucario screamed, almost pleadingly, " _I will not watch innocents die by our failure again!_ "

"I could not agree more," Riley replied, darkening his face with his hat, "We must go...we must go to the source of all aura. We must go to the Tree of Life in Kanto."

* * *

Creator- Sweet mother of Arceus, that took forever! I don't know whether or not to hate this chapter because of all the dialogue or to not hate it because of that save at the end with Riley! Nevertheless, ...fifteen-THOUSAND glorious words made up this chapter, and that, I can be proud of.

Hydra- sorry that this chapter took longer to release it's just that we've been dealing with school, but we have still been making good progress and will continue.

Creator- With that, let's get rooooooight into the Revieeeews!

 **Armorshippingfan**

"Yeah Ash and Serena got their second badges and those two work really well together and I wonder where Misty went after their battle and I wonder what's gotten the leaguers all worked up about and I wonder who the big bad is."

Creator-I actually really like how the Misty VS Ash and Serena fight worked out. One of the better fights in the series so far, I'd say, though Necrozma VS Elemental Birds will keep that title for a while. As for Misty, she'll be back.

Hydra- you are gonna be amazed for what's coming.

 **TeamPiperM**

"Wait a minute...Lugia's right! Why hasn't Arceus tried to shut down Necrozma himself?!"

Creator- Well, Arceus doesn't know where he is, first of all, and stepping down from his perch would make it so if one of the Legends reported back to him, he wouldn't know...that, and plot convenience.

Hydra- I think he pretty much summed it up.

 **Bronysonicfan0000**

"I feel the news reporters should have been Jessie and James in disguise."

Creator- The man, the myth, the legend, MY BOOOOIIII! Well, I'm planning on using that camerawoman many times later on. (To make up for the fact that she was a giant deus-ex-machina because I was lazy) Also, Jessie and James might just make it worse for Ash even if they did try to help.

Hydra- I originally was gonna have it be Jessie and James, but then the Creator suggested we do the other lady instead, so I was like what the heck why not

 **TheOGPokemonMaster**

"What's the weather looking like, Ollie?

IT GON RAIN.

Well, I'm back - finally - and I've read the three chapters I've missed. And there is no doubt in my mind that this story is gonna be a great one.

1) Xerneas may not be able to heal limbs, but certainly other legendaries can? Ho-Oh, with Sacred Ash (though I suppose that the Ash is used more for reviving the dead...), or Mew, or Jirachi (though that may be cheating - "I wish Necrozma never existed!") or hell, even one of the Time Duo? Oh, Necrozma is going to attack the Orange Islands? Well, it would sure be a shame if... EVERY FUCKING LEGENDARY WAS THERE WAITING FOR HIM!

2) I understand why the gym leaders are going full try-hard against Ash, but why Serena? She's been a real trainer for, what, three/four chapters now? Her Pokemon certainly shouldn't be able to compete at the level that powerhouses like Infernape or Sceptile can. At least, not yet ;)

3) I want to see a legendary Civil War. Like, badly. And I can see it shaping up, too! Like Lugia is trying to rally legendaries behind her in order to force Arceus to act while Rayquaza is trying to gain support to crush Lugia.

4) I picture Necrozma like the Terminator.

"Lugia, you have been targeted for termination. Resistance is futile."

5) I am genuinely interested in seeing who the "most powerful man in the universe" is.

Keep up the good work, mates!

Creator- THE OTHER MAN, THE OTHER MYTH, THE OTHER LEGEND, _MY OTHER BOOOOOOOIIIIIIIIIII!_ ...ehem, It's great to have ya back, bud!

P-L-O-T-C-O-N-V-E-N-I-E-N-C-E XD. Also, Necrozma was holding back against the three birds. Like, a lot. Like, a _loooot_.

Flint saw Ash's full team, as they were out of their Pokeballs when they all marched in, and assumed Serena was the same. And Flint's a douche XD. As for Misty, she wanted to "test" Serena, if you catch my drift. As you saw, Pancham got DEMOLISHED in the first Gym, but Sylveon is not only supereffective against Mega Gyarados, but Corsola was only stronger by a small margine, so Misty was giving Serena at least a little leeway. Also, Sylveon had Sceptile by her side. Aint no way she's losing with that teammate.

That's actually an idea we've been throwing around for a while.

Neccy's more like bits and pieces of Frieza from DBZ, Turbo Mecha Sonic from SMBZ, and Oni from Street Fighter.

Here's a hint: Power comes from the mind. And thanks! We're brimming with ideas from this point forward...for the most part…we've got a certain character I'm sure you in particular know much about coming up pretty soon.

Hydra- My comment is so smaaeell. Anyways, glad to have you back. You are going to absolutely love how this story turns out we have so many awesome things planned your head is gonna POP from the sheer awesomeness.

Creator- Well, that's all, folks! Remember to leave Reviews, and the more reviews we get, the faster each chapter comes out!

Hydra- Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, the chapters will most likely get longer at this point because I'm too impatient to save certain things for the next chapter. Stay tuned because the next chapter is gonna be a doozy.


	8. Chapter 8: Grief

_Hall of Origin_

The Hall was nearly pitch black. Though, that blackness did not last long as two red eyes snapped open, coating the Hall of Origin in a bright white hue and revealing countless elevated pedestals. Each elevated white pedestal stood empty, save for the usual one that held the Alpha Pokémon, Arceus. The Lord of all Pokémon stood proudly as always, scanning each one of the pedestals that would soon hold their respective Legendary Pokémon. Finally, Arceus closed his eyes and let out an echoing sigh. A storm of metaphorical defecation would soon befall him once the Legends appeared, surely, but this was something that needed to be done. Quickly, at that.

The Alpha raised his mighty hoof and slammed it into the golden-white hued pedestal of his, sending a golden shockwave in all directions like a single ripple of water. As the ripple made contact with each pedestal, their respective Legendaries appeared from a portal hued to match that Legend's color. Rayquaza in particular had a deep frown plastered on his face; for he knew exactly why this meeting was taking place. He turned his gaze to Xerneas to see her reaction, but her poker face remained stalwart as ever. He was surprised to see Giratina even attending after the incident with Mew.

" _ **MIGHT I HAVE THINE ATTENTION?**_ " Boomed Arceus.

"Umm, Milord?" Jirachi tentatively asked, wiping her tired eyes to adjust them to the brightness of the Hall. Her egg was much darker than this, "Lugia and the Elemental Birds have yet to appear. Shall we wait for their arrival?"

Arceus let out another loud sigh, " _ **...THAT IS EXACTLY WHY I HAVE CALLED YOU HERE TODAY.**_ "

With another stamp of Arceus's hoof, four ethereal golden orbs appeared. Inside those orbs lied the Three Elemental Birds and Lugia, unconscious and brutally injured. Rayquaza winced as he recalled his failure amidst the countless horrified gasps and screams of the other Legends. Even Giratina appeared perturbed at the sight of the battered Legends. The scowl plastered on Lugia's unconscious face did not go unnoticed by the Renegade Pokemon. That face...felt eerily familiar, but for the life of him, Giratina could not place his tendril on it…

"What...what happened to them?!" Mew demanded furiously. The other Legends winced and shrank away as far as they could manage without leaving their pedestals, save Arceus of course. Giratina did his best to do the same as his father, but his wings seemingly had a mind of their own and he, too, shrunk away from Mew.

" _ **WHAT HAPPENED TO THEM?!**_ "

If Arceus had a mouth, he would have scowled at the memory, " _ **NECROZMA HAPPENED**_."

Another wave of panicked gasping rocked the Hall and the smaller Legends began chittering away in panic while the larger Legends either scowled or did their best to look indifferent. Rayquaza gritted his teeth and winced. It was only a matter of time, now. Deoxys's DNA-like tendrils merged to become two large arms with their fists tightly clenched.

" _He's...already here?! Was Rayquaza not keeping watch?!_ "

And THERE it is.

" _ **THAT NECROZMA, I'LL KILL HIM! I SWEAR IT!**_ "

" _ **CALM YOURSELVES!**_ " Arceus bellowed, stamping his hoof down.

Giratina took note of the fact that Mew, too, took heed of Arceus's order. He hadn't ever seen the two even come close to blows before, so the Renegade never got the chance to see who was truly in charge.

" _ **DEOXYS, YOU ARE CORRECT. RAYQUAZA DID FAIL HIS MISSION**_ …"

Deoxys sent Rayquaza a death glare, making the Sky High Pokemon flinch. If this were any other circumstance, the glare would have been met with one of equal contempt, but Rayquaza was not so much of a fool as to deny his wrongdoings. After all, the conditions of the Birds and Lugia were _his_ fault.

" _ **HOWEVER, IT IS NOT HIS FAULT.**_ "

Wait, what?

Arceus nodded, " _ **FROM WHAT LUGIA TOLD ME BEFORE HE...FELL UNCONSCIOUS, NECROZMA WAS TOYING WITH HIM AND THE BIRDS THE ENTIRE TIME. IT IS UNLIKELY THAT RAYQUAZA BEING THERE WOULD HAVE ANY IMPACT.**_ "

Arceus turned his gaze to Rayquaza swiftly, " _ **NO OFFENSE TO YOU**_."

" _N-None take, Milord_ ," Rayquaza replied with a bow.

" _He was never there?!" Deoxys demanded, "He never even_ saw _Necrozma?!_ _YOU LET HIM JUST SLIP BY?!_ "

" _I…" Rayquaza said, struggling to find words and bowing his head in shame, "I...I have no excuse. This is my ultimate failure of my duty…"_

Deoxys was about to retaliate to an attack that wasn't there when Arceus held up his heel, ordering silence wordlessly.

" _ **DEOXYS, I KNOW YOU ARE ANGERED. LUGIA FELT THE SAME WAY AFTER I HAD DECIDED NOT TO PUNISH RAYQUAZA FOR HIS FAILURE, AND I AM SURE YOU FEEL SIMILARLY NOW THAT YOU HAVE HEARD IT AS WELL. HOWEVER, YOU DID NOT SENSE NECROZMA WHEN HE TOUCHED DOWN EITHER, CORRECT?**_ "

Deoxys lowered his enraged glare, " _W-well I_ -"

" _ **AND UNLIKE RAYQUAZA, YOU HAVE ACTUALLY SEEN NECROZMA WITH YOUR OWN EYES**_."

Deoxys caught on quickly and hung his head similarly to Rayquaza, "... _You...you are right. I have no right to be angry at anyone. I have only myself to blame for this, but I will ma-_ "

" _ **SILENCE**_ ," Boomed Arceus, albeit in a scolding tone more than an angry one, " _ **NOBODY IS TO BLAME.**_ "

" _What?" Deoxys asked, "How can you say that?!"_

" _He's right!_ " Agreed Rayquaza, " _We let something onto our planet with enough power to destroy it!_ "

Arceus shook his head and chuckled, " _ **DON'T YOU THINK THAT I WOULD HAVE ERADICATED NECROZMA ALREADY IF HIS ENERGY WAS THAT EASY TO SENSE?**_ "

Giratina let out a booming laugh, earning an annoyed glare from Mew and a tired sigh from Arceus.

" _ **GETTING RUSTY, ARE YOU?**_ "

" _ **GETTING CLOSE TO BANISHMENT TO A PLANE OF PURE BLACKNESS, ARE YOU?**_ "

Mew let out a small chuckle, earning a scowl and much-appreciated silence from Giratina.

" _ **THOUGH YOU DO HAVE A POINT. I HAVE DONE VERY LITTLE TO AID IN STOPPING NECROZMA. THAT CHANGES TODAY. I AM SURE YOU ARE ALL AWARE OF THE FATE THAT BEFELL THE ORANGE ISLANDS. THAT TOO WAS NECROZMA. THOUGH I AM INCAPABLE OF TRACKING THAT MONSTER DOWN, I AM ENTIRELY CAPABLE OF UNDOING HIS DAMAGE.**_ "

Xerneas finally piped up, " _ **Milord, I mean no disrespect, but how are you planning on recovering an entire sub-region? Not even you have that power, at least not anymore.**_ "

Arceus gave the Pokemon of Life an eye-smile.

" _ **THAT IS WHERE YOU ARE WRONG, XERNEAS. THE JEWEL OF LIFE IS ENTIRELY CAPABLE OF REVIVING SUCH AN AMOUNT OF LAND**_."

A collective gasp rang throughout the Hall.

"The Jewel of Life?! Again?!"

" _HAS HE GONE MAD?!_ "

Arceus stamped his foot once more, silencing the Hall.

" _ **I AM WELL AWARE OF WHAT HAPPENED THE LAST TIME I USED IT, BUT I CANNOT BLAME THE ENTIRETY OF THE HUMAN RACE ON ONE SINGLE INDIVIDUAL. AFTER ALL, IT WAS HUMANS WHO ENDED UP RESCUING ME. YOU CAN ALL SAY THE SAME, RIGHT? THAT BOY, ASH KETCHUM, SAVED US ALL ON A NUMBER OF OCCASIONS**_."

Giratina chuckled, " _ **AH, YES. ASH KETCHUM: THE ONE HUMAN I DON'T DESPISE WITH EVERY FIBER OF MY BEING. AS MUCH AS I LIKE THAT KID, DID YOU NOT JUST SAY YOU COULD NOT BLAME THE ENTIRETY OF THE HUMAN RACE'S ACTIONS ON A SINGLE INDIVIDUAL?**_ "

" _ **GIRATINA, YOU WOULD BE WISE NOT TO SPEAK FOR THE DURATION OF THE MEETING OF THE HALL.**_ "

* * *

Ash and Serena stood proudly on a hill overlooking the beachy shores of Vermillion City. Pikachu stood atop his usual place upon Ash's shoulder. The ocean breeze flowed through their hair, earning bright grins from the trio.

"So, this is Vermillion City," Serena stated, "Wow, it's beautiful!"

Ash nodded, "Mm-hmm! And there's more where that came from! Hey, Pikachu! How about we pay our good friend Surge a visit?"

"Pi!" Pikachu cried in agreement. He grinned in anticipation for the chance to pay that smug Raichu of Surge's a second time.

"Surge?" Serena asked, "You mean the Gym Leader, Lieutenant Surge? You were telling me about him back in the forest, but we were interrupted by that creepy circus tent!"

Ash shrugged, "The only Pokemon he used against me was his Raichu. I honestly have no idea what else he could possibly use."

Serena put a finger to her chin in thought, "A Raichu? So, we can at least assume he'll be restricted to Electric Types...but I don't think I have anything to combat those…"

"Well, you could try to give Clefable a shot," Ash offered, "Those things can really take a punch!"

Serena snapped her fingers, "That's right!"

Serena began fumbling throughout her bag, shuffling around until she popped out Clefable's Pokeball.

"Alright, Clefable, I choose you!"

Serena tossed the Pokeball skyward and the pudgy, pink Fairy-Type Clefable appeared in a flash of white. Upon release, she grinned and pointed her fingers outward in a "V" shape.

"Fay! Fable!"

"Say, Clefable, how do you feel taking on a Gym?"

Serena's response from her Pokemon was another grin.

"Fable!" The Fairy-Type cheered.

"Looks like that settles that," Ash stated with a grin of his own, "Now, how about we head down there and flatten this Gym, eh?"

"Let's go for it!"

"Pi-Pika!"

"Fay!"

* * *

A loud rumble echoed as the two trainers raced down the hillside, making Ash nearly trip.

"Whoa!" Serena exclaimed, "What was that?!"

The rumble echoed once more, and Ash chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I think that's me, Serena. I haven't eaten since Cerulean City!"

Serena facepalmed, "Figures. I suppose we'll have to stop by a restaurant before our Gym fight, then."

A light grumble emanated from Serena's chest shortly afterward, making the young trainer's face turn pink. Pikachu and Clefable giggled at her expense.

"Hehe," Ash chuckled, "Looks like the both of us could use that restaurant detour."

As the two of them made their way down the hillside, the beach and ocean came closer and closer. At one point, a rogue wave splashed against the hillside and soaked Serena to the brim, earning a laugh from Ash. Serena gave him a dark look and began chasing him, threatening to get him soaked as well. Though Clefable was having immense fun at the two trainers' expenses, she soon found herself attempting to catch back up with them, to great impediment due to her short legs and chubby stature.

Finally, their chase led to a sand-coated road sitting next to a vast beach. Far off to the side, many docks were stationed with countless ships constantly docking and deploying out into the open seas. In particular, one massive-looking ship was stationed next to an equally massive pier. It had the "S.S. Annabelle" painted red on the side of it. But this all was somehow unnoticed by Ash and Serena amidst their extreme game of tag. What _did_ go noticed by Ash, however, was a large, arced sign that said "VERMILLION CITY" titled brightly on it.

Serena grinned menacingly as she watched Ash suddenly stop in his tracks to read a sign and took the initiative. She lept into the air, aiming to to tackle him into the ground when Ash suddenly turned out of the way to get a better look at what he was reading. Serena's smirk was immediately wiped off of her face in favor of one of regret as she plummeted into the ground flat on her face with a thud. Clefable huffed heavily, furiously attempting to regain her breath as she did her best to sprint towards the two trainers, only to end up tripping and rolling flat onto her face next to Serena.

"Vermillion City," Ash stated, unaware of the situation behind him.

"Pi, Pika-pi."

"Hey Serena!" Ash called, "We're at Vermi-"

It was then Ash saw Serena collapsed on the road, facedown. Clefable was in a similar situation.

"Serena, what are you doing? Isn't it hot down there?"

Serena slowly raised her head and got to her knees, giving Ash a disgruntled look. Her face was completely red due to being in contact with the heated asphalt for so long.

"Dunno, you tell me."

"Faaaay…" Clefable moaned, getting back onto her stubby feet dizzily. She too, had her face painted red. If Ash didn't know any better, he would have provoked them further. Pikachu gave his trainer a look saying not to go any further.

"Alright you two," Ash said with a chuckle, "C'mon, we're close to our destination! We're already at Vermillion!"

At hearing that, Serena discarded her petty anger and hopped to her feet.

"Oh, good! I've been wanting to do some sightseeing, but we hadn't really had the chance."

A rumble of their stomachs interrupted Serena's train of thought, making the two of them giggle.

"I think we should worry about food first," Ash said with a chuckle.

Serena put a hand to her empty stomach, "Can't argue with that!"

* * *

As the two trainers walked throughout the streets, Pikachu hopped off of Ash's shoulder and landed next to Clefable who was trailing behind. Pikachu took this time to strike up a conversation with Serena's newest addition since he hadn't had the chance beforehand.

"Excuse me," Ash said, tapping the shoulder of a random bystander, "Do you know any restaurants around here?"

The bystander turned out to be another kid. He had a blue cap on that was turned backwards, a yellow t-shirt, and blue jean-shorts. Oddly enough, he also had a band-aid over his temple.

"Huh?" The boy said, "Oh, sorry, but I only just got here. I'm actually from Unova, so I don't know much about Kanto. I just got off the S.S. Annabelle. Sorry!"

With that, the kid waved an apology and ran off.

"Hey, kid!" A gruff voice called out to them from an alleyway, "Over here! Heard ya needed a place to eat?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash replied, "You know a place?"

"Ash, this guy looks kinda shady," Serena whispered with worry.

"Do I?!" The gruff man shouted, laughing heartily, "Boy, I know the best place to get some grub in town!"

"Awesome!" Cheered Ash to Serena's dread, "Does it serve Pokemon?"

"You bet!" The man replied, showing himself in the sunlight. He was absolutely _massive_. He was decked from head to toe in muscle, shown off by the fact that he wore short, black gym shorts and a giant, black tank-top. His hair had a military-like shave to it. The man had his massive hands placed on his hips and a smirk planted on his face as he stared the two of them down. Serena nearly fainted at the sight of the giant man.

"Anythin' to serve Lt. Surge's newest challenger!"

"Oh, you know the Gym Leader?" Ash asked.

"Know him?!" The giant man bellowed with a hearty laugh, "Me and Surge have been friends since the crib! Though, he's usually tied down by his Gym and me, bein' a wanderin' trainer and all, we usually don't get t' see each other often."

The giant of a man bent down and slapped Ash on the back, nearly making him fall over, "But you? Surge has been sayin' amazing things about you, kid!"

"Wait, really?" Ash asked, "I mean, we fought once before, but I didn't think he'd remember me."

The gigantic man shrugged, "Well, it was enough to get ol' Surge's gears goin', that's for sure!"

"Maybe he saw our match with Misty?" Serena offered with a nervous grin and attempting to join the conversation.

The man turned his attention to Serena, "And who might you be? His girlfriend or somethin'?"

"Actually, yeah," Serena replied with a straight face, taking the giant of a man aback.

"Oh," The man exclaimed, breaking into a fit of chuckling, "Weh-hell, I'll be damned, hehah! By the way, you said you two fought Misty right?"

Serena nodded, "Yeah, but it was mostly Ash."

"What?" Ash demanded, "No way, you were amazing during that match!"

"Yeah, I heard about that little bout of yours," The man said, "I didn't get t' see it myself, sadly, but I heard it was quite the show! Not many people could have claimed to beat a Gym Leader at their best!"

Ash was about to reply with a thanks when a loud grumble wafted from Ash's stomach. Serena's followed shortly after, making her giggle sheepishly. The man laughed heartily at this.

"Yeah, I think I've been talkin' yer ears off enough, eh? C'mon, I'll show ya the grub."

The giant of a man turned around and began walking into the dark alleyway, waving his hand over his shoulder in a way that motioned for Ash and Serena to follow. Ash, Pikachu, and Clefable all followed him without a doubt in their minds, but Serena hesitated.

"Huh?" Ash asked, turning his head over his shoulder, "Hey, Serena, what's up?"

Serena frowned, "I dunno, it's just...he looks...shady, you know?"

Ash gave Serena a reassuring smile, "He seemed fine to me, and if he tries anything, I got a belt of Pokemon raring to fight!"

Serena sighed, but gave in, "Alright, if you think it's safe."

"That's the spirit!"Cheered Ash, taking Serena's hand to lead her into the darkness of the shaded alleyway. Once the two trainers got to the end of the alleyway, they saw the giant man waiting for them at a dead end. Serena's face paled as she and Ash got closer to him.

"U-um," Serena shuddered, "W-where's the restaurant?"

The hulking man simply gave the two of them an equally massive smirk and balled his hand into a fist. Serena began shuddering horribly as the massive man approached them, yet she didn't even feel Ash move a muscle. In fact, she ended up bumping into him due to him making a complete stop. The bicep-coated man stopped just in front of Ash and Serena, shining another smirk down at them. Suddenly, he raised his massive fist and Serena closed her eyes, awaiting the worst. But, the pain never came. Instead, there was an incredibly loud thud.

"Ey, Steve!" The Man bellowed into the wall he just impacted with his fist, "Open up! I got Surge's guy, and he brought a lady friend!"

Suddenly, a brick in the wall at around the giant man's waist disappeared backward and was replaced with two beady eyes.

"What's the password," A deep, scratchy voice croaked out. Its response was the giant man squatting down and jabbing his massive index finger into the hole, earning a cry of pain from whoever was on the opposite side.

"We ain't got no password, ya mongrel, now let us in! Ya wouldn't want me to tell Surge ya denied entry to the kid he's been tryin' to get his hands on for weeks now, would ya?"

"Ack!" The voice cried out, rubbing his eyes, "N-no, sir!"

With that, the small voice put the brick back in its original place and began shuffling wildly with whatever was on the other side.

"Sooo," Serena said, attempting to spark up another conversation with the giant, "We never got your name. Also, what did you mean by "Get your hands on Ash"?"

Ignoring the latter question, the giant of a man squatted down once more to face Serena and Ash eye-to-eye, unnerving Serena greatly.

"Aw, where are my manners?"

The giant gave them a quite-literally shimmering smirk that caused the two of them to squint, and stood up to his full height, giving them a thumbs-up.

"The boys call me Commander Black, but between you and me, my real name's Chuck. I'm a master of Dark-Type Pokemon, if I do say so myself."

"Awesome!" Ash cried, "So, you must be a pretty strong trainer, huh?"

"You bet!" Commander Black bellowed, "But I'd probably lose to you pretty badly if you beat Lieutenant Surge."

"Pi, Pikachu!" Pikachu cried proudly, jumping on top of Ash's shoulder.

"And who's this little scamp?" Commander Black asked with a chuckle, kneeling down to face the electric mouse.

"This little _scamp_ ," Ash said, "Is the Pokemon that beat Lieutenant Surge's Raichu years ago when I was getting the Kanto badges the first time around."

"Really, this little guy?" Commander Black asked incredulously, lightly pulling on Pikachu's ear, "I ain't ever heard of a Pikachu that could take down its evolution before!"

"Pii…!" Pikachu warned, sparking his cheeks warningly and sending little bolts of electricity racing up the walls. Commander Black immediately released Pikachu's ear and backed off.

"Point taken, little buddy," Commander Black said, laughing nervously, "Yeah, I should be careful about provokin' the Pokemon that single-handedly beat Lieutenant Surge's Raichu."

"Pi," Pikachu replied, crossing his arms and nodding in approval. Finally, the clanking on the other side of the brick wall came to a stop and a large chunk of it slid inward and moved to the side, revealing a wooden floor with a flight of curling stairs going downward. A dim, orange light emanated from the floors below and the loud chittering of many conversations and dishes clanking together could be heard.

"There we go, finally!" Commander Black exclaimed, "Geez, what took ya so long, Steve?"

A short, stubby man clothed in dirty rags appeared from behind the side of the wall, "Well gee, maybe because I'm four-foot-one, alone, and payed half of minimum wage."

"Shaddup, you get free housin' 'ere anyways, and it ain't like ya pay rent!"

Commander Black shoved Steve aside roughly and waved his arm, inviting the two trainers in.

"After you."

"Thanks, Commander!" Ash said.

"Pika, Pikaa!"

"Fay, Fable!"

"It's no problem, you guys are guests here of the highest honor! Anyone Surge respects is to be treated with the highest authority!"

"Commander of what?" Serena muttered to herself under her breath as Commander Black shut the brick door behind them.

"Same thing Surge is Lieutenant of," Commander Black replied, making Serena flush red.

"No need to say anything," Commander Black said with a chuckle, "These ears have been trained to be my eyes in the dark. They hear everythin', ya hear? And fuggetaboutit, people ask me that all the time, it's no problem, really."

"S-still, sorry," Serena apologised, her face still beat-red, "It was rude."

"Aww, well ain't you a polite one. Between you and me, I can see why the kid there chose you."

Commander Black let out a hearty laugh and made his way down the stairs, leaving Serena a blushing mess. Ash chuckled at her expense and motioned for her to follow, making his way downstairs as well. Upon following, Clefable trailed faithfully behind her trainer and the two of them were met with quite a sight as they reached the bottom of the stairs. A massive restaurant filled to the brim with equally large men awaited them. Waitresses made their way up and down the aisles of large, white tables delivering meals to the giant men. Serena had to cover her ears due to the room echoing with the loud laughter and yelling of men filling the restaurant.

"Like it?!" Commander Black shouted, "This is a secret restaurant that's been around fer over a thousand years! Sailors from all over the world used this place to get together and relax from the harshness of the open waters, even to this very day!"

Serena stared at the sight in awe. Even she could not deny the feeling of honor she felt at simply being there.

"That's amazing!" Ash cried ecstatically.

"Pi. Pika, Pi!"

"Indeed it is," Commander Black stated proudly, "And you know who started it all?"

Ash and Serena couldn't help but ask in unison, "Who?"

Commander Black let out another shimmering smirk, "Why, m' great forefather and his best friend! Lieutenant Sir G and Commander Blackbeard where amazin' sailors who spent their life's fortunes, amidst their group of comrades they called Private Gresselle, Colonel Flaresso, Major Seaman, and General Normandy, makin' this place! Those six put their life's fortunes into building this city and spent the rest of their days in this restaurant. They were so great that their children ended up passing down their titles, hence Commander Black and Lieutenant Surge."

"Woooaah," Ash and Serena said simultaneously in awe, "That's incredible!"

"Pika, Pi…"

"Faaaay."

Commander Black nodded approvingly at their reactions, "Indeed they were."

Suddenly, Ash felt himself get pushed forward by another slap on the back from Commander Black, "But that's besides the point! Aside from talkin' yer ears off, we're here for food! The best food in all of Kanto, just as it's been since this old joint's creation!"

Commander Black cupped his hands around his mouth as if to mimic a megaphone, "Oi, you lot! Rev up those fryers, would ya?! We got Surge's guy, and he brought himself a lady friend!"

Ash and Serena were physically blown back by the response Commander Black got. If they thought it was loud before, then a bomb might as well be going off now. The entire dining hall was wracked by the hooting, cheering, and bellowing from hundreds of sailors, along with the cheering and whistling from the waitresses. Ash and Serena doubled over in pain, clutching their ears in agony. Pikachu followed suit, but Clefairy found herself at the full wrath of the sound due to her stubby arms hardly being able to reach her ears. Commander Black bellowed out a hearty laugh at the two trainers' reactions, earning the entirety of the dining hall to follow suit. Ash and Serena gave Commander Black a glare due to the noise somehow increasing further from the laughter he wrought. Commander Black managed to stifle down his laughter into small chuckling and turned around to face the crowd. He raised his arm and flattened his hand, lowering it to tell the dining hall to quiet down. Ash and Serena slumped to the ground in a heap as they finally managed to rip their hands from their ears.

"Oi," Commander Black said to the two collapsed trainers, a cheeky grin plastered on his face, "The seats are over there, ya know. C'mon, I'll show ya to yer seats. You two are the guests of the house, ya know."

Commander Black grabbed their arms and hoisted them to their feet, earning a yelp from Serena.

"Guests of the house?" Ash asked as the five made their way down an aisle of cheering sailors, "Is it because of Lieutenant Surge?"

"Yeah, how come he's so fixed with us?" Asked Serena.

"Well, it's mostly the boy, lassie," Commander Black replied, "Yer just an added bonus from yer little bout with Misty. In truth, Surge got pretty bored with Gym challenges after he was beaten by...yer name's Ash, right?"

Ash nodded.

"After he was beaten by Ash. He used to love crushin' cocky little youngling trainers underneath his boot, but eventually, he got bored of them. In his words, it became swatting away flies. There was the occasional trainer who managed to beat him, but those were usually incredibly seasoned trainers with many badges under their belts who ended up doin' the reverse and swattin' _him_ like a fly! There was never an in-between who could give him a fight on equal terms except you, Ash! But eventually, Surge trained so hard that he became _too_ strong. It's been two years since a trainer managed to beat him, and the League is threatening to make him step down because he's became too powerful of a trainer! It's a good thing Kanto has eleven Gyms instead of the regular eight, else there might not have been any Indigo League tournaments because of Surge."

"Woah," Ash exclaimed, "Now I'm even more pumped to fight him!"

"Pi, Pika!"

"So, in short," Serena said, "Lieutenant Surge is using Ash as a way to keep his job?"

Commander Black nearly choked on his own spit laughing, "Gyahaha, that's one way to put it, girlie! Though, I don't think one loss would save him from that, and Surge knows it. No, I think Surge is just aiming for one final battle before he steps down. Somethin' to get his gears goin' one last time before he's forced into retirement."

"Oh…" Serena said, hanging her head, "Well, when you put it like that, now I feel bad for saying that about him."

"It's no trouble, lassie," Commander Black replied, "I can see why you'd think that."

Ash scowled, "Still, it sucks that he's getting fired. Maybe I'll have a talk with Mr. Goodshow once I get back to the League about this."

Commander Black shook his head and crossed his arms, "That'd probably make it worse, Ash."

"Who's Mr. Goodshow?" Serena asked.

"What?!" Commander Black bellowed, "He's the head of the Pokemon League itself! He's practically the world's leader!"

"Woah, geez, he's that powerful?" Asked Serena.

Commander Black shrugged, "I've never seen the old dwarf actually fight, but I'd imagine he's incredibly powerful seeing as he's practically the Champion of other Champions!"

"I dunno," Ash said, "I've talked with Mr. Goodshow a fair number of times. He even let me carry the torch of Moltres' flame once. I could probably talk him into letting Lieutenant Surge stay."

"I appreciate it, Ash, I really do. But I think it's for the better that you leave these things be. Lieutenant Surge has already resigned to stepping down, and I'm sure he'd feel better going down in a blaze of glory rather than spending the rest of his career beating up a bunch of Rattatas."

Ash sighed, "Still, it doesn't feel fair."

Ash's faithful partner lept onto his shoulder and chirped in agreement, "Pi, Pika!"

Commander Black let out a long sigh until finally, a small grin crept up his face, "...I can see why Surge likes ya so much, kid. Anyways, we're here!"

As the group of five neared the opposite side of the large underground restaurant, they neared an incredibly large, circular table draped in white sheets. Fourteen chairs surrounded the table.

"There ya go, kids," Commander Black announced, clapping a hand on their shoulders, "Twelve seats for your Pokemon, and two seats fer you. Have fun!"

"Wait, before you go," Serena interjected, "How do we order?"

"Ah, right!" Exclaimed Commander Black. He clapped his hands, and a waitress with a Drowzee, a short, pudgy bipedal yellow Pokemon with beady eyes and an elephant-like trunk for a nose, appeared. "Throw out yer Pokemon, would ya? Yer meal depends on the strength of yer Pokemon, and Drowzee here'll read yer mind as to tell what yer personal tastes are."

"Sounds convenient," Commented Ash.

"Aye," Agreed Commander Black with a wink, "We're called the best restaurant in Kanto for a reason, Ash."

"Umm," Serena said tentatively, "My Pokemon aren't, well...that experienced, you know? So what would we get?"

"Nonsense, lassie!" Commander Black bellowed, slapping Serena on the back, "You were able to beat Misty at her best! Even with Ash here, that's still an impressive feat! And it isn't as if we'd treat ya like garbage fer bein' weak! It'd just be less good by default, ya know? Anyways, enjoy yer meal! I'll be back shortly with Surge. He's off at the Gym gettin' ready."

"Thanks for everything, Commander Black!" Ash called out to him, "You can be sure I'll give Lieutenant Surge the fight of his life!"

"I'll be lookin' forward to it, Ash!" Called back Commander Black as he disappeared into the crowd, "But worry about that later! For now, enjoy yer food!"

"We will! Alright, guys, come on out!"

"Uh, right!" Serena said, remembering the terms of her meal, "Come out, guys!"

In eight flashes of light, Ash and Serena's teams appeared with eager looks on their faces. They'd heard everything from inside their Pokeballs, and their mouths were watering the entire time. Pikachu and Clefable eagerly hopped over to their respective comrades, forming a line for the waitress and Drowzee to examine them. First, the waitress walked over to Ash's team and knelt beside each one, uncomfortably prodding at each one and lightly pulling on some of their limbs, as if testing their dexterity. Each of Ash's Pokemon made faces of discomfort, but did nothing to stop the waitress. Drowzee waddled over to Ash and motioned for him to kneel. Ash crouched down so that they faced eye-to-eye and Drowzee's own eyes lit up a bright, cyan blue. After a minute or so, Drowzee nodded and waddled back to its compatriot, doing the same thing it did with Ash to the waitress. With a nod, she wrote something down on a clipboard and went on to do the same thing to Serena's team. Drowzee followed suit.

"I see," The waitress stated, "Ash Ketchum, you will receive the Second-Class, S-Rank Meal. Serena Yvonne, you will receive the First-Class, B-Rank Meal. Your meal will be designated and diluted or enlarged by your meal class."

"Meal class?" Serena asked, "What does that mean?"

Expressionlessly, the waitress replied, "Each meal's quantity and quality is dependant on a "rank" that is further dependant on the trainer's Pokemon. Ranging from D at the bottom, to S at the top, a meal's class is further divided by "class" that ranges from Third Degree at the bottom, and First Degree at the top. In accordance to your specific meals, Ash Ketchum will receive a medium-sized meal of the highest-class meal we can offer. Serena Yvonne will receive what would be classified outside of this restaurant as a "4.5 star meal" at its largest. These meals will further be divided for your Pokemon."

With that, the waitress and Drowzee quickly bowed and walked off to deliver the meal's statuses. Ash and Serena simply stared at her, dumbfounded.

"You catch any of that?" Asked Serena with widened eyes.

"Not a clue," Ash replied with a similar expression on his face, "Geez, I didn't really think that a restaurant for sailors would be so complicated."

Serena nodded numbly, "Right with ya...Oh! We should probably sit down and wait for them to come back."

"Hey, you two!" A random voice called out to them. Ash and Serena's gazes landed on a sailor sitting at a table with two Pokemon, a blue, bipedal frog with a large, rounded body, white boxing gloves, and a massive swirl on its equally massive chest and a massive, grey humanoid Pokemon with four, muscle-coated arms, an odd beak, and a black speedo with a championship wrestling belt. "Poliwhirl and Machamp here are bored outta their minds. Think you could spare two Pokemon of yours to keep 'em occupied?"

"Is that allowed?" Serena asked, to which the sailor heartily laughed.

"Is it allowed?! You must be new here; 'course it's allowed!"

Ash smirked, "I'm in. Hawlucha, how about it?"

Ash needn't even ask twice, as Hawlucha eagerly nodded and leapt over to meet his opposition, using Bulk-Up to drastically increase his muscle mass.

"Lu-CHA!"

To Serena and Ash's surprise, Pancham hopped over as well. He gave Hawlucha a nod and turned to face the larger Pokemon with a cocky smirk.

"Huh?! Pancham?!" Serena exclaimed shrilly.

"I think Pancham wants to make up for what happened against Flint," Ash offered.

"Alright then," Serena said, "Be careful out there, Pancham!"

* * *

On the opposite end of the restaurant from where Ash and Serena were battling, a hulking man, easily as large as Commander Black, walked down the stairs. He wore a greenish-yellow tank-top, bage gym shorts, deep-black sunglasses, and two dogtags around his neck.

"Ey, Surge!" A gruff voice called out to the hulking man, "I got him for ya!"

Wordlessly, the hulking man took off his sunglasses and folded them into his pocket, revealing his yellow eyes, and grinned.

* * *

"Pancham, use Force Palm!" Serena ordered. Their battle had attracted a large crowd of sailors who were whooping and cheering on the battle. Some of them were making bets who'd win and passing money around their tables. Poliwhirl lied unconscious with swirls that matched the one on its chest in its eyes.

"Hawlucha, throw Pancham into Machamp!"

Pancham raised his tiny fist skyward, making it glow white brightly. The tiny panda Pokemon let out a yelp as he was swept off of his feet by Hawlucha who was smirking at him and dangled him upside-down by his ankle. Remembering what Ash had ordered Hawlucha to do, Pancham smirked back and raised, or lowered depending on how you looked at it, his glowing fist. Hawlucha began spinning around, picking up wind as he did. Finally, he released Pancham, sending him careening into Machamp's face and sending the four-armed Pokemon sprawling onto its back. Pancham bounced backward, landing on his feet next to Hawlucha, and the two gave each other a congratulatory thumbs-up. The crowd burst into loud cheers, save for the sailors who'd lost, whether that be by battle or by bet, and yet, Ash and Serena didn't feel an ounce of pain as they did before. They grinned at the crowd and clasped one of their hands together, raising them skyward in victory.

"Well dang," The sailor who'd lost said as he returned his two Pokemon, "The way you had Pancham use Vital Throw on my Poliwhirl into Hawlucha's Flying Press was genius! No wonder Lieutenant Surge has gotten so psyched up about seein' you two. You'll be bettin' I'll be watching that fight of yours later!"

Serena winked, "You better believe it! It'll be the fight of a lifetime!"

"Is that right?" A gruff voice said from within the crowd, "I should hope so, seein' as it's my last."

The crowd began mumbling hysterically as they parted to make way for the new voice. Commander Black could be seen walking through the gap of people, but another person; an equally giant one, at that, walked towards them as well.

"It's Lieutenant Surge!" A sailor's voice cried. Suddenly, the masses of the room began frantically cheering, whooping, and chanting Lieutenant Surge's name. Serena couldn't help but regret her statement from the earlier heat of the moment as she watched the two hulking men approach them. Ash, however, felt his pulse begin to race in anticipation. This was the moment he'd been waiting for. Pikachu seemed to agree, seeing as he hopped onto his best friend's shoulder and gave the hulking men a cocky smirk.

"Ash," Lieutenant Surge stated with a booming voice as he stopped on the opposite side of the circle the crowd had made for them, "You can't believe how long I've been waitin' for this moment. Finally, my final fight as a Gym-Leader...promise me this, Ash. Promise me that this will be a fight I'll be rememberin' for the rest of my life!"

Ash narrowed his eyes and gave Lieutenant Surge a sharp grin, "Lieutenant Surge, I wouldn't dream of doing anything otherwise."

Lieutenant Surge trembled in anticipation. He couldn't stop himself from quaking. The Electric-Type Gym-Leader gave Ash a sharp grin of his own and took out two yellow, sunflower-like Badges between his fingers. These were the Thunderbadges.

"You cannot tell how much this means to me, Ash. We're gonna give this fight everything we've got, isn't that right, Raichu?!"

From behind Lieutenant Surge, a large, orange mouse-like Pokemon with black and yellow ears and an elongated wire-like tail with a thunderbolt at the tip leapt into the circle and crashed into the ground in front of Lieutenant Surge. It had an anticipating grin plastered on its face that practically matched its trainer's.

"This is getting me pumped!" Ash bellowed, "Pikachu, up for one last rematch?"

"Pi, Pika Pi!" Pikachu cried back, not needing to be told twice. He bolted from his trainer's shoulder and crashed into the ground in front of Ash. The four of them practically matched in their facial expressions, though Serena took a step back, not wanting to get in between the two incredibly powerful trainers.

"Oi, lassie!" Commander Black called out to Serena, "You ain't gonna get yer badge by sittin' around twiddlin' yer thumbs! C'mon, I'll take you on! Go, Honchkrow!"

"O-oh, right!" Serena stammered, "Go, Clefable!"

In a flash of white, a large, black bird with incredibly puffy feathers and a crest on its head that looked like a fedora. It tipped its hat-like crest to Serena before spreading its wings and screeching at her. The pink, pudgy Clefable bounded into the ring and did as best as it could to give Honchkrow a menacing look. The waitress from before with the Drowzee stepped in between the four trainers and raised her arm.

"Begin!" She ordered, slamming her arm downward. Her Drowzee, who was off to the side, used Psychic to lift its partner out of harm's way.

"Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge ordered, "Hit 'em wit a Thundahbolt!"

"Pikachu, catch it on your tail with Iron Tail!"

Raichu grinned anxiously and leapt into the air. Sparks erupted from the orange mouse's cheeks violently, coating itself and tearing apart the carpet below. But that wasn't even the attack. It was the preparation. The sailors were nearly blown backwards as five colossal bolts of blindingly bright bolts of electricity shot out from Raichu's body towards the smaller, yellow mouse that had beat it five years ago. In retaliation, Pikachu raised his tail into the air and coated in a silver, metallic sheen. The tail acted like a lightning rod and absorbed the incredibly powerful bolts of plasma into itself, practically making Pikachu's tail light up like a Christmas tree. Pikachu gritted his teeth as he tried to hold the bolt in place, but he could feel himself slipping with every passing moment.

"Piiikaaa!" Pikachu called out to his trainer in desperation.

"Pikachu, Electro Ball quick!" Ash ordered. He could practically feel Pikachu's urgency as his own. Pikachu blinked in realization of what Ash was attempting to accomplish and attempted to channel the plasmatic lightning into a ball, but found it incredibly difficult due to that lightning not being his own.

"Raichu, don't give 'em the chance!" Lieutenant Surge bellowed, "You know what to do!"

Raichu nodded to his trainer in affirmation and turned back to Pikachu with a menacing grin on its face. Raichu shot its pointed tail upward and Pikachu found himself shot off of his feet. Pikachu scrambled wildly in the air as he was dangled from his tail. Ash's other Pokemon gaped at the odd technique.

"Woah, what is that?!" Ash asked in _shock_ as he witnessed his partner being held up by the very lightning he was trying to control.

Lieutenant Surge chuckled and put his sunglasses back on, "That's a technique we've been workin' on fer years specifically t' combat electric types! It's all a matter of power and control! Raichu, demonstrate fer me, will ya?"

Raichu began moving the tip of his tail around, causing Pikachu to let out a yelp as he was dragged by his own tail and stopped abruptly parallel to where Raichu's tail was. The orange mouse let out a dark chuckle as he whipped his tail to the opposite side, making Pikachu follow at an incredible pace.

"How are you doing that?" Ash demanded.

Lieutenant Surge smirked, "Like I said, it's all about power and control. In our last bout, you showed me that there were things my Raichu missed out on because it wasn't a Pikachu long enough. So I thought to myself: "I wonder if there's anythin' a Raichu could learn that a Pikachu couldn't?" And then it struck me, no pun intended. An evolution naturally has more proficiency in their respective element than their predecessor. So, I trained my Raichu here to learn to better control its lightning, which led to me discoverin' a neat little trick I like to call Psycho-Shock. If Raichu can land an electric attack on somethin', especially another Electic-Type, it can hold the bolt in place and its tail to make that lightning follow where it wants to. It's like Psychic for Electric-Types! Raichu, let's show 'em what Psycho Shock can _really_ do!"

Raichu gave the flailing Pikachu a menacing grin before hopping into the air and slamming its wire-like tail into the flooring, causing Pikachu to be carried further into the air and slammed into the ground. Pikachu, being the stout little Pokemon he was, immediately attempted to get up, only to be pulled back into the ground by his , his tail began glowing brightly and Pikachu looked back to get a split-second's glance at Raichu's cocky sneer before the electric bolt keeping him in place exploded. Ash's Pokemon on the sidelines winced.

"Clefable, Dazzling Gleam!" Serena ordered. However, the attack seemed to be in vain as the incoming Dark Pulse cut through the blinding flash of white with ease and rocketed into the pudgy Pokemon, sending it into a nearby wall. "Clefairy, no!"

"Oi, get yer head in the game, lassie!" Commander Black spat, "Ya can't count on type advantage alone, ya know!"

Serena growled and clenched her fists, but she knew Commander Black was right.

"Clefable, are you alright?" Clefable's response was to push herself out of the wall and bound back into the circle, earning cheers from the sailors.

"Alright, Clefable!" Serena cheered.

Commander Black scoffed and crossed his arms, "Ya may be a cutie, but bein' the Pseudo Gym-Leader I am, I ain't lettin' ya take this badge without a proper thrashin'! Honchkrow, make em eat another Dark Pulse!"

"Not this time!" Serena cried, "Clefable, use Metronome!"

Clefable nodded and began waggling her fingers back and forth. Unfortunately, Honchkrow wasn't about to give the pink, pudgy Fairy-Type the time to finish the dangerous move and spat a beam of swirling dark energy towards its face. Serena's team on the sidelines cried out as they watched the Dark Pulse rocket towards their partner.

"Agh!" Serena cried in desperation, "Clefable, abandon Metronome and use Moonblast to protect yourself!"

Reacting quickly, Clefable quickly stopped waggling her fingers and thrusted out her tiny arms, summoning a ball of white from her hands to take the incoming attack. Clefable was forced backward violently as the Dark Pulse made contact with Clefable's Moonblast that she held in her hands, but she managed to stand her ground long enough to step out of the way and allow the attack to sail into a wall behind her. The waitress let out a sigh and began writing something down on her clipboard; probably something regarding the cost of repairs.

"Clefable," Serena exclaimed, "Are you okay?!"

Clefable gave Serena a smile and a wink as an answer.

"Alright, then let's continue!"

"Girlie," Commander Black stated, "I admire yer resolve, but yer gonna have to work a little harder than that. Your lack of experience is glaringly obvious. Yer gonna have to pull out some hell of a strategy outta yer skirt to beat me!"

Serena scowled and was about to retort when she heard a loud blast beside her. She turned just in time to see Pikachu enveloped in an explosion of electricity. She was about to scream out something along the lines of "Pikachu, no" when she heard another blast right in front of her. Turning back, she saw Clefable bouncing along the ground and rolling to a stop at her feet.

"Clefable!"

"What in Distortion World do you think yer doin'?!" Bellowed Commander Black, "Why in Arceus's name would you take yer eyes off a battle, lassie?!"

"I-I was just-"

"Endangering your Clefable, that's what! If yer too fixed on someone else's battle, how are you supposed to concentrate on yer own?! Over there? That ain't your fight! Focus on what's happenin' right here and right now! This is _your_ fight, and that one is _his_! You're gonna have to fight fer yerself one day, and how are you gonna do that if yer watchin' someone else?!"

Serena gaped at Commander Black's words. They couldn't be more true. Serena had always spent her battles right beside Ash, and the one time she wasn't beside him, she lost. To a _Butterfree_. She had always been staring at Ash's back and never to his side. Commander Black was right. Serena wouldn't get anywhere if she was relying on Ash all the time.

"You're...right." Serena said, "If I'm gonna be a trainer, I can't rely on Ash for everything, nor can I let my life completely revolve around his. If I'm going to be a trainer, there are some things I have to do on my own! Clefable, can you stand up?!"

At hearing her trainer's inspiring words, Clefable managed to push herself off the ground and gave her trainer a confident smile, to which Serena mimicked Clefable's look and the two faced Commander Black with determined looks on their faces. Serena's team on the sidelines began cheering on their trainer and comerade, especially Pancham who was frantically hopping up and down whilst doing so.

Commander Black gave the two of them a confident smirk of his own, "Aye, that's it, lassie! Now let us just hope that you can back those words up!"

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried as he saw the plasmatic explosion of Psycho-Shock envelop his partner. When the smoke cleared, Pikachu lied flat on the ground, though he quickly managed to get back onto his feet.

"You okay buddy?" Ash asked, to which Pikachu turned back to give his best friend a thumbs up. "Alright!"

"Gyahaha!" Lieutenant Surge guffawed, "That's what I like to see! Most Pokemon would have been in a coma from that, but here you are with barely a scratch! Not a battle I've had in years has lasted this long!"

"Rrrrraaaaai!"

Ash and Pikachu gave Lieutenant Surge a sharp, determined grin back, "We'd promised you the fight of a lifetime, and that's exactly what we're planning to give ya, isn't that right, Pikachu?"

"Piiiii!"

"Alright then! Raichu, use Iron Tail!"

"Pikachu, you too!"

Both electric mice gave one another a sharpened smirk, their eyes sheening. Pikachu lifted his tail skyward and coated it in a silvery metallic sheen while Raichu simply held his wire-liked tail out in front of him and the metallic sheen slowly crept up its tail and glinted in the light while Raichu gave him a menacing grin behind it. Pikachu leapt forward into the air and began a midair rolling maneuver to gain momentum before plummeting his tail into Raichu's own, to which Raichu whipped his tail outward like a blade to counter it. The two iron, blade-like tails smashed into each other hard enough to create a blast of wind outward, causing the sailors to frantically hold their hats in place so that they did not rocket across the room. Raichu grinned sadistically at Pikachu for a brief second until its tail was forced to the ground from Pikachu's momentum. Raichu's cocky smirk was completely wiped from his face as everything seemingly went into slow motion. As Raichu's tail plummeted into the ground from Pikachu's attack, rubble and dust from the ground shot from the ground like a volcano, covering the area in dust and blinding everyone. Pikachu took the opportunity as he shot down onto Raichu's tail with his own to use his tail as a pogo stick and shot towards Raichu, twirling around to rocket his tail into the underside of Raichu's chin. The wind was blown away as Raichu was rocketed upward and onto its back.

"Gah!" Lieutenant Surge cried as he reeled from the wind. He turned back only to see Raichu flat on its back with Pikachu standing over him.

"Raichu, no!"

"Alright, Pikachu, way to go!" Ash cheered. Pikachu ecstatically cheered, hopping up and down in celebration of his victory. The rest of Ash's team, save Sceptile who simply smirked, all burst into cheers.

"Well, well, well," Lieutenant Surge announced as he took off his sunglasses and tossed them to the side, "Ash Ketchum...you really did it. You're really an amazing trainer, ya know?"

Ash chuckled and grinned, "Thanks, Lieutenant Surge. That was an amazing fight, and I won't be forgetting it anytime soon."

Lieutenant Surge chuckled darkly, making Ash raise an eyebrow, "Ash...I really respect ya, and all. You're the first person to gimme the thrill of battle in years...but I have to be disappointed in you. Did you really think...I WOULD GO DOWN THAT EASY?! RAICHU, GRAB 'EM!"

Ash gasped, "What?!"

Pikachu whipped around only for Raichu's wire-like tail to smack him across the face like a whip, sending him sprawling into the ground. Pikachu, however, didn't get a moment of solace as Raichu's tail came for a second blow and wrapped itself around Pikachu's neck and hoisted him into the air.

"Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge bellowed, "Show 'em why you should never celebrate early! Hit 'em wit a Thundah!"

"Pikachu, no!"

" _RRRAAAAAAIIIIIII!_ "

"Piiiiiiiiii!"

"Clefable, hold on!" Serena desperately cried as her beloved Fairy-Type Pokemon was pinned down by a Dark Pulse from Honchkrow. The aforementioned Dark-Type bird was currently soaring over Clefable and blasting her into the ground with constant fire. Serena gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. She looked around furiously, desperately attempting to wrack her brain for any ideas to get her out of this situation and fast. Clefable clearly had little time left. Suddenly, it struck her. It could either win her the match or completely screw her over, but it wasn't like anything else she could do would work.

"Clefable, please! Hold out a Metronome for as long as you can!"

Commander Black scowled, "Have you learned nothin', lassie?! Yer only leavin' yerself open! Honchkrow, double the firepower!"

" _KrrrrOOOOOWWWW!_ "

The swirling beam of darkness intensified into a cone-shape, completely embedding itself over Clefable and smothering it. Nevertheless, Clefable held true to her orders and continued to twirl her fingers back and forth in preparation for the Metronome attack despite the agony she was currently facing. The watching sailors had to raise their arms to take the brunt of the violent winds made from the Dark Pulse, and money could be seen scattering from the hands of their owners as they bet on who would win.

"Awroight, that's it!" Commander Black roared, "Honchkrow, finish 'em off! Hit em wit a Drill Peck!"

Serena gasped, "No! Clefable, hurry please!"

Honchkrow closed its mouth, cutting off the gigantic Dark Pulse attack. The sailors simultaneously let out a sigh of relief, but that was relief Serena could not hope to share in just yet. Honchkrow spread its jet black wings over Clefable and a small twister of wind began racing around its beak. The tornado grew in size until it slowly enveloped Honchkrow altogether. Suddenly, Honchkrow bolted downwards and Serena felt her heart stop. Her eyes widened to the size of dinner plates and threatened to drop tears at any moment. She could only watch helplessly as Honchkrow, in her eyes, slowly began descending upon Clefable's exposed belly.

"Metronome, now!" Serena cried. She was practically begging at that point. To whom, she didn't know. Suddenly, Clefable's fingers stopped moving and she lied her arms out to her sides. Serena couldn't believe her eyes. Was Clefable...giving up?! Two white, glowing blades suddenly shot out of Clefable's arms and the pudgy, pink Fairy Type crossed her arms together violently, crashing the two blades into the descending Honchkrow and making it rocket back up into the ceiling where it hung limply, embedded in the ceiling with swirls in its eyes. Everyone who was watching Serena's half of the fight gaped dumbfoundedly, completely silent. It wasn't until nearly a minute later when the crowd finally broke into their roaring cheers. The rest of Serena's team, especially the ecstatic Pancham, began cheering and whistling loudly. Serena felt the weight of the tension leave her all at once and she nearly collapsed then and there. The only thing keeping Serena on her wobbly feet was the fact that her Clefable lied, brutally injured and embedded into the floor. Serena quickly sprinted over to her fallen Pokemon.

"Clefable, are you okay?!" Serena demanded, worry plastered on her face as she dropped to her knees besider her Pokemon."

"Faaaaaaaay…" Clefable managed to say. The Fairy-Type Pokemon attempted to stand on her feet but quickly collapsed back down.

"Woah there," Serena cooed, "Hey, don't push yourself. You did amazing out there! I don't know what happened back there, but you should feel proud. You really saved us."

"Damn, lassie," Commander Black exclaimed with a weak laugh as he walked over to meet the kneeling girl. Serena paled. She thought that Commander Black would be fuming from their quick comeback, but instead he was grinning from ear to ear. "Of all the things t' come from Metronome, of course it had to be Guillotine. I'll still count this as a win fer ya, but ye should be a bit more careful in the future. That luck won't last forever, ya know."

"O-oh!" Serena said, "O-of course! I'll try to get stronger!"

"Gyahaha!" Guffawed Commander Black, "Aye, I'll be lookin' forward t' that. Ye best return that Clefable of yers, though. She be lookin' rather beat up, she does."

"R-right!" Serena agreed, returning the Fairy-Type to her Pokeball. She jumped at a loud buzzing noise to her side. She whipped around to see Pikachu being held up by Raichu's tail while the two of them were coated in blindingly bright lightning.

"Aye," Announced Commander Black, " _Now_ might be a good time t' be watchin' Ash's fight."

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried as he watched his partner helplessly being assaulted by Raichu's Thunder, "Try to fight back!"

"Piiikaaaaa _CHUUUUUU!"_

Pikachu desperately attempted to gain back the upper hand by firing off a Thunderbolt to hopefully counter Raichu's Thunder, but it proved to be in vain as Raichu quickly began overpowering Pikachu once more. Ash growled and gritted his teeth. There wasn't anything he could come up with. It was obvious Electric-Type attacks wouldn't be good for anything, and Pikachu couldn't exactly maneuver enough to make Iron Tail worthwhile.

"That's enough, Raichu!" Lieutenant Surge announced, "Finish 'em off!"

"Pikachu, quick, use Thunderbolt at full power!"

" _CHUUUUUUUUU!_ "

But their efforts were in vain. Pikachu's attack was quickly torn apart by Raichu's Thunder and the powerful bolts once again began wracking Pikachu's helpless body. Raichu smirked menacingly and flicked Pikachu into the air, unraveling its tail.

"It released him?!" Demanded Ash in confusion.

"Hardly!" Bellowed Lieutenant Surge, "Raichu, you know what to do."

Raichu gave its trainer a nod and slammed his tail roughly into the ground. Ash winced as he realized what was coming next. Pikachu was rocketed into the ground by the static bond it had now shared with Raichu's tail due to the effects of the orange mouse's Thunder attack currently racing through Pikachu's body, ripping apart the hard flooring. Lightning suddenly exploded from Pikachu violently. Ash clenched his fists as he heard the agonized cries of Pikachu quickly being drowned out by the sounds of Raichu's powerful, crackling lightning exploding in every direction. The watching sailors sprinted behind tables for cover as the lightning quickly made its way across the floors, walls, and ceilings in little arcs, bouncing from surface to surface. The waitress let out another sigh as she apathetically wrote things down on her clipboard while this was going on. Her Drowzee managed to pull her from her spot behind a table as a bolt ripped past where she was once standing. Finally, the bolts began to die down. Once the smoke and debris settled, Pikachu was nowhere to be seen amidst the crater. Ash dropped to his knees in despair and hung his head.

"Is that it, then?" Lieutenant Surge demanded, "Is it over already?! Well, I suppose I can't be _too_ disappointed. After all, you _did_ give me one hell of a fight."

He let out a sigh, "Well, if that's it, I might as well get the Gym ready for packu-"

Pikachu suddenly burst from beneath Raichu. Lieutenant Surge and his orange compatriot barely had time to gape as Pikachu clad itself in a yellow aura, making it so that the only visible part of Pikachu was his outline. Pikachu rocketed into Raichu's chest, making the orange menace double over in agony as he was carried into the ceiling. As the two mice rocketed into the ceiling, the following explosion clouded the two of them in smoke, but Raichu was quickly ejected out of the cloud and landed harshly on his back while Pikachu leapt out of the opposite side and onto his feet, covered head to toe in scratches and burns, but looking raring to go nonetheless. A closed smile crept up Ash's face and he slowly stood back onto his feet.

"Lieutenant Surge, I believe you were scolding me about letting my guard down earlier, were you not?" Ash cockily stated.

"What?!" Bellowed Lieutenant Surge, "How's this possible?! Your Pikachu should've been fried!"

Ash chuckled and Lieutenant Surge could have sworn Ash had a cyan glint in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared, "Ya know, it's weird. It was almost like me and Pikachu could understand each other's thoughts without actually speaking. We both devised the strategy of using the force of the explosion of your Psycho-Shock to eject him downwards. After that, it was only a matter of getting you to believe you'd beaten me, and you know the rest. Though, I didn't expect Pikachu to relearn Volt Tackle! Good on ya, buddy!"

"Pi, Pika Pi!"

Lieutenant Surge's look of pure dumbfoundedness slowly turned into a smile. Not a cocky grin or a smirk, but a genuine smile. He hadn't felt excitement like this since their last fight. Seeing his Raichu get back up and have a standoff with Ash's Pikachu, he couldn't help but to get a flashback to their original fight. Those two looked completely different from how they used to. He hadn't really noticed how much _he'd_ changed in comparison.

"Ash, you are one hell of a trainer. But we're far from done here, ain't that right, Raichu?!"

" _RRRRAAAAAAAAAAIII!"_

"That's right! Raichu, hit 'em wit a Thundah!"

"Pikachu, use Volt Tackle one last time!"

" _Pikapikapikapikapikapikapi-KAH!"_

 _CRASH!_

The two powerful attacks rocketed into each other with enough force to blow back the tables that the sailors were hiding behind, sending both them and the tables they were hiding behind flying. Serena was nearly rocketed back as well but was caught by Commander Black.

"Yer gonna have t' be able t' withstand these kinda conditions as a trainer too, ya know," He said to her.

Pikachu and Raichu were giving their attacks all they had. The very ground beneath their feet was beginning to disintegrate due to the colliding powers, but none of the four even bothered paying attention to it. Pikachu and Raichu managed to stare each other down even through the powerful lightning. Ash and Lieutenant Surge did the same, even throughout the harsh winds.

" _RAICHU, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!"_

" _RRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIII!"_

" _PIKACHU, GIVE IT ALL YOU'VE GOT!_ "

" _PIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIKAAAAAA!"_

The two attacks somehow increased in force, scattering the concrete flooring everywhere. Suddenly, Lieutenant Surge felt incredible fatigue, but this didn't deter him one bit. Raichu had felt the exact same thing, and the four of them all roared as they gave all their strength into their attacks. Finally, Pikachu managed to gain some ground, and that ground slowly gained more and more until the yellow mouse managed to completely tear through Raichu's Thunder and blast into the orange mouse, sending smoke throughout the entire restaurant. When that smoke died down, Pikachu was seen standing over the unconscious body of Raichu. He was covered from head to toe in injuries and panting wildly for air, but standing nonetheless while his opposition wasn't. Lieutenant Surge collapsed onto his knees, panting heavily. As he panted for air, a sudden smile overtook his face and he began laughing.

"Ash," He managed to say, "That...was...THE BEST FIGHT I'VE HAD IN YEARS!"

The crowd, at hearing this, leapt from their hiding spots and began roaring loudly, cheering their heads off and regaining their circle formation around the four trainers. They vigorously raved, pumping their arms wildly. Ash made his way over to his partner and managed to catch him just before the yellow mouse collapsed alongside his orange adversary. Lieutenant Surge managed to push himself off the ground and reclaim his own partner in his arms.

"Ash, I cannot thank you enough. This final battle...was everything I could have hoped for. My last battle couldn't have been a better one thanks to you…"

Ash chuckled and smiled brightly, "I gotta thank you as well. That was one of the best fights of my life, and I've fought many battles."

Lieutenant Surge chuckled back and put a hand on Ash's shoulder, "And be sure to have many more, Ash. Have a battle, one day, so amazing that I couldn't ever dream of fighting it."

"I will," Ash promised.

"That's all I could ever ask for...oh!" Lieutenant Surge exclaimed, fumbling through his pockets, "I almost forgot yer badge! You, girl, get ovah 'ere!"

Serena blinked, still stunned from their display of power from earlier. She hadn't been expected to be called out so suddenly. Commander Black chuckled and gave Serena a light push towards them. Serena looked back for a second, to which Commander Black waved her off. Serena smiled and nodded, walking over to Ash and Lieutenant Surge.

"I didn't see yer fight wit Commander Black," Said Lieutenant Surge, "But I assume ya beat 'em right?"

Serena furrowed her brow and turned back to Commander Black, "I dunno if I could call it a win...it was entirely luck-based…"

"But ya still beat 'em, didn't ya? Luck is usually an essential part of a battle as well, ya know."

"Wait, really?" Serena asked, turning back to face Lieutenant Surge.

Lieutenant Surge let out a bellowing guffaw and slapped Ash on the back, "'Course it is! How else do ya think Ash 'ere beat me?"

This snide little comment caused Ash and Lieutenant Surge to begin laughing. The other sailors followed suit and soon the entire restaurant was drowned in the sound of laughter. Eventually, Serena couldn't hold it in anymore either and began laughing along.

"Aaahahaa," Laughed Lieutenant Surge as he wiped a tear from his eye, finally having calmed himself down minutes later, "Anyways, here ya go. Two Thunderbadges."

Ash and Serena took the two gleaming, sunflower-like Badges in their hands as if they were gemstones. Finally, the two of them lifted the badges skyward.

"Alright!" They cheered unanimously, "We got...THE THUNDERBADGE!"

"Aye!" Commander Black shouted in their ears from behind, nearly making the two trainers drop their new prizes in surprise, "And ya know what the best part is? It's time fer food! All you lot, get to cleanin' this place up, will ya?!"

The sailors Commander Black was referring to quickly saluted and began overturning the collapsed tables onto their rightful positions and mopping up the broken glass scattered about...with their hands. Ash and Serena looked on and chuckled weakly as they witnessed the place they had unintentionally destroyed practically be rebuilt before their eyes. Before they knew it, it looked as if the place had rebuilt itself. The waitress's face relaxed a bit and she began erasing something on her clipboard.

* * *

Ash, Serena, and their Pokemon were all gorging themselves around their table now that their meal had finally arrived. Pikachu and Clefable were having difficulty due to their injuries, but Braixen had helped them out by using her Psychic powers to lift small chunks into their mouths for them. Lieutenant Surge was watching on with a smile plastered on his face until Commander Black had approached him behind and tapped his shoulder. The look on his face told Surge everything.

"Aye...he's here…"

"...I suppose nothing good lasts forever…" Lieutenant Surge said, exhaling deeply.

With a sigh, Lieutenant Surge slapped his hand on Commander Black's shoulder and began making his way towards the opposite side of the restaurant. Lieutenant Surge managed to push past the partying sailors who gave him concerned looks as they saw his passing face, but knew better than to ask for it. As Lieutenant Surge approached the stairway, he turned his gaze toward Ash and Serena at the opposite end of the restaurant and smiled weakly before heading upstairs. As he reached the top, the dwarfed doorman, Steve, gave Lieutenant Surge a pained look, to which Lieutenant Surge simply nodded. Steve let out a sigh and and opened the brick wall for Lieutenant Surge to step outside. A skinny man with glasses and a blue suit was waiting for him. He had his nose in a sheet of paper on a clipboard he was carrying until he saw Lieutenant Surge staring down at him.

"Ah, Lieutenant Surge," The man stated as he looked up to face the giant trainer, "I suppose you know why I'm here?"

"Gym's yours," Lieutenant Surge spat halfheartedly. He was attempting to sound angry, but he couldn't even manage it.

The man raised an eyebrow, "I'd expected that to be marginally more difficult."

Lieutenant Surge let out a long, deep sigh, "No point in arguing anymore. I just finished my last Gym Challenge to two kids downstairs. I'm more than ready."

The suited man adjusted his glasses, "Very well, then. The Thunderbadge will be considered a legal Badge in the Indigo League for the next two years. After that, it will become useless. Your Gym will be occupied by dojo of Fighting-Type users from Saffron City from now on. I must say, they were quite exci-"

The man's train of thought was interrupted by Lieutenant Surge turning around and making his way back inside without a further word. Steve the doorman took the hint and quickly closed the brick wall, giving the League Official a look of distaste before the wall closed. Lieutenant Surge made his way downstairs and collapsed into a sitting position with another deep sigh. Commander Black strode up to him with a concerned look on his face.

"Ya gonna be okay?" Commander Black asked his best friend, to which yet another long sigh was loosed by the ex-Gym-Leader. He glanced upwards to see Ash and Serena laughing with their Pokemon. He closed his eyes and let out a halfhearted laugh.

"Yeah," Lieutenant Surge said with a pause, "Yeah, I'll be fine."

* * *

The evening skies were a deep orange, mimicking the islands that were once underneath. A hole of white skewered the orange, sending beautiful golden rays of light shooting out. Out from the hole, the brilliantly-hued Alpha Pokemon Arceus soared over the barren, watery seas where the Elemental Islands once stood. These islands were fairly small, so regenerating them would be no problem for him. The real problem would be attempting to regenerate the Orange Islands themselves. Arceus let out a deep sigh, for he knew that many troubles would surely arise from doing this if the situation with Ash and Damos was anything to go off of. But this was something that could not be put off for his own selfish doubts. With a large intake of air, he exhaled deeply and secreted five, almost flat polygonal Plates from his body. The Flame Plate to rekindle Moltres's Fire Island, The Zap Plate to rekindle Zapdos's Lightning Island, the Icicle Plate to rekindle Articuno's Ice Island, and finally the Stone and Earth Plates to give the Islands their physical form. The three elemental plates that were secreted flew off directly over where the original Elemental Islands while the Stone and Earth Plates flew in between the three Elemental Plates. Arceus grunted and his eyes began glowing brightly, the Plates following suit. The Elemental Islands began rebuilding themselves from the bottom-up with golden glowing dust rising up in the open air and leaving stone in their place. In mere seconds, the Elemental Islands were back once more.

Arceus allowed himself a deep sigh and returned the five Plates into his body, " _ **WELL THEN, ...I SUPPOSE IT IS TIME TO ADDRESS THE DONPHAN IN THE ROOM.**_ "

The Alpha Pokemon Arceus's red eyes began glowing a crimson red before shooting out in harmless shockwaves that dissipated quickly. In doing this, Arceus opened another white portal and flew inside, leaving his recreations behind to stand in the calm evening waters. Once the portal had opened on the opposite side, Arceus was greeted with a devastating sight. The Orange Islands, now that the tide had drifted down, was reduced to nothing more that a bunch of scattered patches of land and spires of stone that pierced the sea from below. Hundreds of boats were swarming the area like bees. Humans were desperately scavenging the desecrated lands for anything that might have remained from the Orange Islands. Many were in hysterical tears, collapsed on their knees amongst the small patches of land that remained. They were typically burying their faces in blankets and the such; probably remainders of whatever humans lived here before. Their partner Pokemon were either desperately attempting to comfort them or ravaging the rubble with their human compatriots. Arceus could not stand it any longer. He could no longer watch as his children suffered. He might not be able to bring back those who've fallen, as not even he had power of the entire universe, but he was more than capable of restoring their land with the Jewel of Life, even if it endangered his own life.

" _ **MY CHILDREN**_ ," Arceus announced, scaring the life out of those below until they'd stared up with awed faces, " _ **I CANNOT BEAR TO SEE YOU SUFFER LIKE THIS. I HAVE COME BEARING A GIFT THAT WILL EASE YOUR SUFFERING**_."

Arceus exhaled deeply and allowed the Meadow, Splash, Earth, Zap, and Draco Plates. The multicolored Plates hovered slowly around the Alpha Pokemon's body like a wheel until they floated outward parallel to Arceus's face, where they closed in and merged together once more. The people and Pokemon below were blinded by the brilliant light of the Plate's fusion until finally, the light died down and in it's place was a brilliant green orb crackling to the brim with energy. The orb slowly descended downward and, upon contact with the ground below, fused into it. Almost immediately after the orb's fusion into the ground, a wave of green, white, and gold exploded outward. The humans screamed in shock and turned their backs, only to realize nothing had happened...or so they'd thought. Once they'd slowly opened their eyes, they were greeted with a beautiful sight. The Orange Islands had completely returned. Many of the people who were in boats now found themselves beached on solid land, but they didn't care. They were all attempting to process what had just transpired. Finally, it dawned on them: the land had returned...it was all back! Many of the women immediately burst into tears once more while the men whooped and cheered. The Islands were back! This was nothing short of a miracle...no, it was divine intervention. Through their tears, they gazed up upon their savior who, in turn, smiled down at them. Immediately, humans and Pokemon by the thousands sprinted over beneath their hero and either collapsed beneath him, spouting gratitudes through happy tears or jumping, cheering, and whistling.

Arceus chuckled at their display, " _ **IT IS OF NO CONSEQUENCE, MY CHILDREN. FOR YOU, I WOULD LET MY OWN LIFE END TO CONTINUE YOURS, JUST AS I HAVE DONE MANY A TIME BEFORE**_."

"W-who are you?" One of the awed men spoke, "What is your name, our savior?"

The Alpha Pokemon smiled down at him, " _ **I AM ARCEUS, MY CHILD**_."

"Arceus…" The awed man repeated, "Praise you! Everyone, praise Arceus, our savior!"

The once-awed crowd immediately broke into more cheering, continuously spouting the likes of, "I love you, Arceus!", "Praise Arceus!", and the like. At one point, someone mentioned something about a helix, but the Alpha Pokemon had missed most of it. Arceus floated downward and allowed himself to personally meet the humans he'd saved. Questions began passing around for Arceus to answer, which he happily did, like "How powerful are you?" "How did you revive the land?" and yet again, something about a helix, to which Arceus replied that he had no idea what that was. Finally, someone asked the question Arceus was dreading: "Did Lugia destroy the Orange Islands?" This would be quite the explanation.

" _ **...MY CHILD, THE DESTRUCTION OF THE ORANGE ISLANDS WAS NOT LUGIA'S DOING. LUGIA HIMSELF DOESN'T EVEN POSSESS ENOUGH POWER TO DO SUCH A THING. NO, THIS WAS THE DOING OF A MYSTERIOUS BEING CALLED NECROZMA.**_ "

"Necrozma?" The awed man from before asked, "Is that a Pokemon?"

Arceus shook his head and scowled at the memory of the conditions of Necrozma's victims, " _ **NECROZMA IS DESTRUCTION AND MALICE INCARNATE AS FAR AS I KNOW. LUGIA, AS I'VE SAID, WAS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THIS TRAGEDY. IN FACT, LUGIA TRIED TO STOP NECROZMA'S ASSAULT WITH THE HELP OF THE THREE ELEMENTAL BIRDS, ARTICUNO, ZAPDOS, AND MOLTRES...AND THEY ALL FAILED**_."

The humans and their Pokemon below all stared up at Arceus with terror etched in their eyes.

"Have you killed it yet?!" One of the humans screamed, "If that thing can take down Pokemon as powerful as them, the world is in serious danger!"

Arceus held up a hoof to silence them, " _ **NO, WE HAVE YET TO SLAY THAT DEMON, BUT I HAVE EVERY LEGENDARY SCOURING THE LAND FOR HIM ON HIGH ALERT. AS SOON AS HE IS FOUND, I WILL PERSONALLY STRIKE HIM DOWN FOR THE PAIN HE HAS CAUSED YOU ALL! I SWEAR IT TO YOU!**_ "

The humans began cheering once more.

"Yeah, take him down!"

"Make him suffer for what he's done!"

"With Lord Arceus on our side, Necrozma doesn't stand a chance!"

"You _fools!_ "

Arceus raised an eyebrow at this, as did the humans below. They parted way to make room for a single man that strode down the aisle with a crazed, enraged look plastered on his now-bearded face. He had a balding head with grey hair for its remainder and was wearing a black business suit with a patch over his heart that looked like a supernova surrounded by stars. This man was Christopher Lee, and he looked none too pleased about the situation.

"Look at you fools!" Lee bellowed, "Have you forgotten what this monster has done to us?! HAVE YOU FORGOTTEN THE PEOPLE WHO'VE DIED AT THIS...THIS BEAST'S HANDS?!"

"How dare you!" One of the other humans roared, "Arceus has restored our land for us!"

"YOU DAMNED IDIOT!" Bellowed Christopher Lee once more, "This _beast_ has restored this land for his _POKEMON_ to return to! He had Lugia wipe us all from the map to have his precious beastlings return to!"

" _ **MY CHILD, I-**_ " Arceus tried to protest, only for Christopher Lee to explode back at him.

"SHUT YOUR MOUTH, YOU DAMNED MONSTER! HOW DARE YOU CALL ME YOUR CHILD! I WOULD SOONER DIE THAN BE THE CHILD OF A BEAST LIKE YOU!"

It was at that point that one of the other men stomped up to Christopher Lee, ready to put him in his place only for Lee to grab him by the arm, twist it around his back and shove him into the ground.

"You're brainwashed by him!" Christopher Lee roared, "He's using you, dammit! This monster cares nothing for us! He only cares for his spawn! That is why he had Lugia wipe us from the map!"

Arceus was about to speak back, only for the pleasant surprise of one of the other humans to do so for him. It was the woman who held that blanket from earlier.

"Lugia didn't cause this!" She cried, "You heard Lord Arceus! It was Necrozma who did all this!"

"A likely story!" Christopher Lee shot back, "A clever little ruse to get us to praise him while he STABS US IN THE BACK! It's all a ploy to cover up one single detail: THE FACT THAT HE HAS YET TO REVIVE THOSE LUGIA KILLED!"

"Wait a minute, Lee's right!" One of the bystanders said, "Lord Arceus, why have you not brought back our loved ones?!"

Arceus paused for a moment before letting out a deep sigh, " _ **...MY CHI- CHRISTOPHER LEE...YOU ARE RIGHT IN SAYING THAT I HAVE YET TO RESTORE YOUR PEOPLE'S LIVES...BUT I HAVE NO SUCH POWER AVAILABLE TO ME. I AM FAR FROM BEING ABLE TO REVIVE THE DEAD**_."

"BULLSHIT!" Commander Lee roared, "LOOK AT ALL THIS PLANT LIFE AND TELL ME THAT AGAIN!"

" _ **W-WELL,**_ " Arceus stuttered, " _ **PLANT LIFE IS DIFFERENT. THEIR SOULS ARE FAR LESS COMPLEX AND HARDLY CONSC-**_ "

"SHUT YOUR DAMNED LIE-SPOUTING MOUTH!" Lee spat, "You think you can just get away with whatever you want, don't you?! You come strutting in outta nowhere to cover up the fact that your own spawn killed our loved ones and then act like you're some benevolent god?! You're nothing more than a tyrant and a monster, isn't that right, folks?!"

The people looked around, unsure of what to do. Both sides sounded believable. Yes, Arceus had restored their land, but it _was_ awfully convenient that every single Pokemon escaped. Finally, someone stepped forward.

"You know what? Lee's right! "Destruction and malice incarnate"? That sounds all too much like a fairytale!"

" _ **WHAT?!**_ " Arceus roared, " _ **NO, I-**_ "

"Yeah!" Another person said, "Lee's story sounds a lot more believable than some demon doing all this!"

Arceus's eyes widened as he watched the people who treated him like a father mere minutes ago now turning and standing against him.

"How dare you lie to us?!"

"You're a monster!"

"You're the only demon here!"

" _ **YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND!**_ " Arceus pleaded, " _ **I'M ONLY TRYING TO HELP!**_ "

"We don't want your help!"

"Let's get him!"

"Yeah, let's kill the _real_ demon! Attack!"

The people released their own Pokemon that weren't already out and thrusted their arms towards Arceus, ordering them to attack. But nothing happened. The Pokemon frantically looked back and forth between their trainers and Arceus, unsure of who to obey.

"What are you doing?!" One of the humans demanded, "Attack him!"

The Pokemon, terror etched on their faces, furiously shook their heads and tried to make themselves all look as small as possible.

"What?!"

"They're traitors too!"

"Fine, let's take him down ourselves!"

Returning their Pokemon to their Pokeballs, the angry mob of humans began grabbing whatever they could, whether that be rocks, clumps of dirt, or tree branches and began furiously throwing them at the being they once called a savior.

" _ **WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!**_ " Arceus demanded, soaring back into the air, " _ **YOU FOOLS, I AM TRYING TO HELP YOU!**_ "

"Then bring back the ones you've killed!" One of the women screamed as she tossed a stone at the Alpha Pokemon, which actually ended up hitting him on the forehead due to his Earth Plate being occupied as part of the Jewel of Life.

" _ **I HAVE TOLD YOU!**_ " Arceus bellowed. He unintentionally began glowing a deep crimson red in his rage. As he bellowed once more, he sent a shockwave flying across the horizon, " _ **I CANNOT!**_ "

This outburst stopped the humans in their tracks. They were all too terrified to move as they looked at the crimson deity. Arceus soon realized what what he had done and quickly managed to calm himself, erasing his crimson outline. And although the humans' terrified faces would haunt him, nothing would haunt him more than the voice he'd heard in the back of his mind as he had his little outburst. His vision flashed back to the incident with Damos and King Marcus. Arceus could feel his past rage nearly overtake him for a moment, but he promised himself he would never let that rage overtake him again. Arceus used his Psychic Plate to lift the humans, making them scream and flail until he'd set them back into their boats.

" _ **FINE, THEN. YOU DO NOT WISH FOR MY HELP? THEN YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE IT**_."

Arceus lurched the Jewel of Life from the ground, immediately returning the land to the barren watery wasteland that Necrozma had reduced it to. Arceus split the Jewel of Life back into the original five Plates it was created from and returned them into his body. The Alpha Pokemon ripped open another white portal and, glancing back for a moment only to see Christopher Lee grinning cruelly at him from ear to ear, disappeared back into the Hall of Origin. To his surprise, Rayquaza was waiting for him there.

" _Milord_ ," Rayquaza said with a bow, " _How did it go?_ "

Arceus closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh, " _ **...NOT GOOD, I'M AFRAID. THE HUMANS DID NOT WISH FOR MY ASSISTANCE.**_ "

" _What?!"_ Rayquaza demanded, " _Why would they not wish for their homes to return?!_ "

" _ **...GRIEF AND ANGER DO THINGS TO PEOPLE, RAYQUAZA. IT WAS NOT THEIR HOMES THEY WERE CONCERNED WITH. THEY HAD LOST MANY TO NECROZMA'S ATTACK. IF I COULD NOT BRING THEM BACK, WHAT USE WAS I?**_ "

" _Do not say that, Milord! They are not deserving of your kindness!_ "

" _ **DO NOT BE SO HARD ON THEM, RAYQUAZA...THEY LOST PEOPLE THEY LOVED. BLIND RAGE CAN MAKE PEOPLE WILD...I KNOW THAT ALL TOO WELL**_."

* * *

Creator- Welp...we did it! Two chapters before summer! ...Well, for us at least. Some of you might already be on Summer Break, but me and Hydra are not...so...it counts. Also, I still really hate the last chapter, but I feel incredibly proud of this one...Chapter 5 is still my favorite though. Speaking of which, I'd really like to hear your opinions on what your favorite chapter so far is! So please, tell me what Chapter you liked the most.

Hydra- We have only 4 more days until summer then you will be seeing much more chapters getting done quicker, so what did you guys think was it pretty intense?

Creator- Review time!

 **Armorshippingfan**

"Wow good chapter I Iiked seeing the Pokémon tech school again and AJ again and I liked how they took care of team rocket and I really hope Riley can get to the tree of beginning and try stop that big bad Pokémon"

Creator- "I honestly don't think it was a good chapter. The only good thing about it, in my eyes, was Riley. Speaking of Riley, you will be seeing him a lot from this point on ;)

Hydra- It was really fun to write the part at the Pokemon tech school when AJ busted down their door with Sandslash and literally made the kids cry their eyes out, it was my favorite part last chapter.

 **Pikajew**

"Sweet mother of lawdd, that Necrozma fight 0_0"

Creator-Your name, your comment, I love everything about you.

Hydra- dude that Necrozma fight is only the beginning you are going to absolutely love how the next fight is. Stay tuned:)

 **Little Matt**

"Been readin' for a while, but I've been too shy to review until now.

...I can't help it anymore, YOU MOTHERFUCKERS KILLED LOOKER! XD You monsters!"

Creator- AND MANY MORE WILL DIE BY MY KEYBOARD AHAHHAHAHAHAAA!"

Hydra- thank you for reviewing man it's good to know that we have a lot of silent viewers who are enjoying our fic even if their to shy to review. P.S… sorry about Looker.

 **Bronysonicfan0000**

"My god, that was long."

Creator- Almost as long as my di- _**gets punched by Hydra**_

Hydra- LANGUAGE!

 **Hy6r1d60y**

"For arceus sake can arceus warn ash about necrozma... im really want to know why every legendary that meet ash dont ask ash help for aarceuss sake he is a chosen one... Are arceus forget that or will arceus dumbly warn ash when necrozma frickin destroy all region until kanto... Sorry for my outburst but i just wonder why the legendary dont warn ash about necrozma…"

Creator- Patience is key, my child. It will come.

Hydra- it's ok to get frustrated because that makes you appreciate more once you finally get the answers to the questions you've been asking.

Creator- This chapter was MUCH easier to write than the travesty that was Chapter 7...even though I was awake till like two in the morning writing that Lieutenant Surge battle. I wouldn't expect another chapter until, say, June 10th at the earliest. I got so many finals and projects to do, it's insane! But anywaaaaaaays, be sure to keep the reviews coming...they're pretty much what I feed off of these days…

Hydra- I really hope you get loved this chapter it took a little while to make that's why we're very glad we were able to get the two chapters out before summer because we want to show you guys that were very dedicated to this fic. Well it seems we're done so hope you guys have a good week and if there's someone who been reading, but is too afraid to review don't be shy we won't bite. :)


	9. Chapter 9: Shadows

The room was nearly pitch black. Secret Agent Anabel of the International Police slammed her fist on her desk in fury. Anabel was a young woman hardly over the age of twenty. She had long, violet hair that was draped into a curl behind her head and wore a slim, jet black, suit with a black tie half-showing from her shirt, and she was currently having an intense, heated debate with her employer over the phone.. Anabel had spent many a sleepless night trying to figure out what exactly happened to Looker after he had completely vanished from the face of the planet from his last mission at Goldenrod City's Radio Tower, and when she _finally_ gets the chance to investigate the tower after having speedily completed her other missions in what would have taken other members of the International Police _weeks_ , her boss has the _gall_ to shut her down without even giving her a _chance_?!

"No?!" Anabel screeched in rage, "What the hell do you mean _no_?!"

"Anabel, please-" The head of the International Police tried to say to sway Anabel from getting herself killed, only for Anabel to shut him up.

"Don't you "Anabel" me! I spent an entire week getting _every single_ one of the missions _you_ assigned me done so I could do this, and as soon as I get them done, you suddenly say I can't go?! I spent six hours chasing some guy who stole a motorcycle for you! Who am I, Officer Jenny?!"

"Anabel, listen," Her boss spoke from the opposite side of her phone, "Looker was one of, if not _the best_ guy we had! And now he's disappeared from the face of the Earth! I don't want to lose _two_ of my best agents!"

"I am not going to sit by and twiddle my thumbs when Looker's life could be on the line!"

"Listen ! me, Anabel!" Anabel's employer seethed , "Looker isn't one to disappear out of nowhere! We don't know what we're dealing with, and if you go off the fritz and do whatever you want, it will reflect on the International Police! Do you realise what would happen if an enemy organization learned of us?!"

"If you're willing to leave one of your agents for dead, then maybe I'd rather the International Police to be destroyed," Anabel hissed coldly, narrowing her eyes, "I wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of your heartlessness."

The head of the International Police could be heard banging something loudly on the other side of the phone, "Agent 4N4B3L, I have been running the International Police for longer than you have been subjected to oxygen! I will be damned to see it fall apart because one of my agents going haywire!"

"With or without you, I'm going!" Anabel screeched, slamming her hand on a nearby wall, "And if I don't have your full support, I might not be all that careful about cleaning up afterward. So either you have my back on this, or I'll go it alone and if I die, I will make sure a heartless bastard like you and his life's work comes down with me!"

The head of the International Police silently cursed. His ultimatums weren't working. In all honesty, he still needed her. The entirety of their mission to uncover the secrets of the Ultra Beasts would have gotten nowhere were it not for Anabel's...relation to them. But he'd already lost Looker to that mission, that much was true, and it was looking like Anabel, their greatest weapon against them, would be lost too. But at the moment, it wasn't looking like there was anything he could do to stop her. Finally, after a period of painful silence, the head of the International Police let out a long, winded sigh.

"...Fine. I will allow you to undertake this mission of yours under one condition."

Anabel was taken aback for a brief moment, "Really? What is it?"

"You must maintain contact with me for the entire duration of the mission on your earpiece. It was because Looker shut off his connections with you then that he has disappeared now."

"Of course!" Anabel exclaimed, a little too enthusiastically for her liking. Clearing her throat, she repeated the statement once more in a professional manner, "I mean, of course, sir."

On the opposite side of the phone, the head of the International Police pinched his temple and forced himself to refrain from letting out a warped mixture of a groan and a sigh. Were it any other agent, they would already be terminated for such threats against the International Police. But Anabel was invaluable at the moment.

"Then we are understood. Put on your earpiece; I'll resume contact with you shortly on there."

With that, Anabel's employer hung up the phone. Taking quick action, Anabel quickly shoved the phone into her pocket and began scrambling through the drawers in her desk for her earpiece. Finally, upon opening one of them, she spotted the small, black device and hastily attached it to her right ear, being met with her boss's voice on the opposite side.

"-ello? Anabel, where are you?! I swear, if that girl went off without me, I'm gonna-"

Anabel nervously cleared her throat, catching the attention of her boss, "Sorry, sir. I had minor trouble finding the-"

"No matter," Anabel's boss waved off, "If we're going to do this mission, time will be of the importance, so let's just get moving."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh, by the way," Anabel's boss spoke up, "About that motorcycle you stole back. The guy who you gave it back to ended up being so grateful, that he ended up giving it to us."

Anabel's eyes lit up, "You mean…"

Anabel could've sworn she _heard_ the nod from her boss, "Yep. She's all yours. It'll be in your garage."

Ecstatically, Anabel quickly lunged for the door and ripped it open, illuminating the darkened room. Wasting no time, the violet-haired agent rushed down the stairs of her apartment. Bursting out of her front door, she furiously whipped her head to her right to see her garage. She sprinted over to it and jammed in the barcode, making the gate slowly raise. She could hardly keep herself still in anticipation as the garage doors lifted to reveal the prize within.

"My, my, Anabel," The head of the International Police said with an amused chuckle, "I had no idea you would be this excited about it."

"Well," Anabel replied, "I can't put my finger on it, but they've always seemed...appealing to me."

"I see," The head of the International Police replied flatly.

 _Maybe she had someone close to her that owned one of these before we found her with UB-05_ , He thought to himself. It would be something he would have to look into.

Anabel slowly made her way over to the shimmering black motorcycle. It had oddly wide wheels for a motorcycle and it was almost completely coated in similarly-black metal plating. Upon closer inspection, she found that the tires themselves were metal. In fact, the only parts of the bike that weren't made of metal were the seat and the headlights. Even the grippers used for throttling were metallic rather than rubber like they normally were.

"We made some alterations to it before shipping it to you," Anabel's boss said over the earpiece, "Don't worry about the metal tires. They're completely rounded and coated in a special sheen so they won't spark up on the road, though you might want to find some leather gloves for the handles. We made sure to coat as much of it in a steel more durable than the skin of a Steelix as possible without completely ruining its functioning."

Anabel frowned, "Won't the metal cause an imbalance in weight distribution? I doubt I could make it five feet without the thing tipping over. And speaking of tipping, how exactly am I supposed to turn with metal wheels?"

"You underestimate us, Anabel. The International Police isn't so cheap that we'd give you a worthless motorcycle. Why don't you try driving it? It's a lot more flexible than you think."

"If you say so."

Tentatively, Anabel inched her way onto the bike and found her boss's words to be blockiness of the bike didn't impair the flexibility of it in the slightest. Placing a purple motorbike helmet over her head and clipping it down, she revved the engine, kicked up the stand and rocketed out of the garage.

"Well, I see you're taking a liking to it," Anabel's employer said with a chuckle. Anabel couldn't help the grin that erupted from her face.

It wasn't long until she reached her destination. There it was: Goldenrod City's Radio Tower, and the place where Looker had disappeared. She quickly found a parking spot and hopped down from her new bike,kicking up the stand and letting her helmet loosely fly from her head.

"What would be the best approach?" Anabel inquired of her employer, "It's broad daylight out, so we can't just barge in.'

"Hmm...there should be plenty of staff members. Knock one out and take their uniform, perhaps?"

Anabel sighed, "Not the most elegant approach, but I suppose it is a necessity. Alright, let's see what I can find."

The agent quickly darted into a shaded alleyway and waited for her opportunity. It wasn't until nearly half an hour later when a woman in a brown suit came walking past Anabel's hiding place.

"That's one of them," Anabel's employer spoke through the earpiece, "I've gained access to all the building's cameras. Quickly, before she gets away!"

Without needing to be told twice, Anabel leapt from her position and caught the woman by the neck, cupping one hand over her mouth and using the other to jab an index finger into the side of her neck, immediately causing her to go limp.

"Boss, please turn off those cameras of yours for a few seconds," Anabel said coyly.

In less than a minute, Anabel had now adorned the previous woman's uniform, the employee now being buried underneath a particularly large pile of trash.

"You brought the hair spray, right?" Anabel's boss asked, "Your hair sticks out like a sore thumb."

"Of course I have it," Anabel snapped back, "I may be crazy for going on this mission, but I am far from an idiot."

"I'm just making sure."

Moments later, Anabel had reappeared from the alleyway, now with her new uniform and a brunette hair style. She had a silver nametag that read "Alice Hennings" on retaking action, the agent made her way to the entrance of the Radio Tower and after entering through a rotating door, found herself in the main lobby. Anabel nearly winced as a voice she didn't know called out to her.

"Alice! You're back from your lunch break already?"

Quickly taking composure, Anabel came up with a response.

"Erm, well, they were closed today, so I came back!"

"Haha, what?" The other female laughed, "But you _hate_ working here!"

Anabel inwardly scowled, but retained her cheery expression, "Ah, well, the place pays well at least. Kinda wanna make some more money by the end of the month, ya know?"

The woman raised an eyebrow, "We get payed minimum wage."

Anabel quickly lost patience and marched up to the woman, glaring darkly at her, "Your Alice is currently in an alleyway unconscious and buried under a mountain of garbage. If you do not want to end up in a similar manner, this conversation is over."

The Agent mustered a bright smile that somehow still looked incredibly intimidating, "Got it, sweetie?"

Eyes widened in terror, the woman quickly pursed her lips and nodded furiously.

"Greeeaaat."

Anabel's threatening smile turned back into a glare, "Now stay silent about this, got it?"

Without waiting for a response, Anabel quickly turned around and began walking to the elevator.

"Easy there," Anabel's boss said, "I get you're worried about Looker, but keep your emotions in check. We can't risk you getting caught, so keep it together, will you?"

Anabel let out a deep sigh, "Yes...yes, you're right."

"Just keep it together, Anabel. You're already getting some odd looks."

"I got it...I'll get out of here quickly after I get what I need."

"You better. Looker disappeared because he was hesitant to leave. You cannot make his same mistakes."

Anabel soon exited the elevator, glancing around to see rows of computers...and luckily for her, not a person in sight. Anabel quickly leapt for the nearest computer and began clicking away, scanning through file after file, but nothing of value was found.

"Boss, can you file through the video files of that day? I'll go through the activity feed and hopefully I'll find something there."

"Of course," The old man replied over the earpiece.

After a few minutes of rigorous clicking, the Head of the International Police spoke up.

"Anabel, I think I've found something."

"What is it?!" She demanded.

A blue file appeared on her desktop with "Hours 12:00-3:00 [DATA EXPUNGED]" labeled on it.

"This is...was the camera feed of the duration of Looker's mission here. Whoever was involved in his disappearance was thorough about it. They completely removed every trace of the video feed."

Anabel cursed, "So what, is that it, then?! That can't be it!"

"It _isn't_." Anabel's boss said flatly, "I've been hacking things far more dire-looking than this for over fifty years. This is nothing. I know from personal experience; there is no such thing as destroying data completely. If I can get ahold of the infared cameras, I can- no…"

"What is it?"

Anabel's employer scowled, "They were more thorough than I thought. I had tried to look at the infared cameras to at least get a glimpse of what happened, but they had deleted that too. It seems I'll just have to tear it back."

"Tear it back?" Asked Anabel, clueless to the old man's ramblings, "What does that even mean?"

"You're a good field agent, Anabel, but compared to me, you're a lousy hacker. Like I said, data can never truly be deleted. The pieces of the video feed are currently scattered across fields of code. If it were anyone else, repiecing this feed would take years. Luckily, I've been running a secret organization of hackers for many of those. Sit back, Anabel, and tell me if we're being tracked. I'll handle the rest."

Anabel simply looked at the screen in front of her in awe, both at her boss's little speech and the fact that ones and zeros were now racing across the screen, mixing and matching faster than she could keep track of.

"R-right," She stuttered, clicking out of the tab of racing code to keep track of their surroundings.

"I think I've...got it," The old man announced after roughly half an hour, "I have to give them credit. Whoever was responsible for this really knows their code."

"Now's not the time to be praising the guys who kidnapped Looker," Anabel deadpanned, "But what have you got?"

Her answer was a page appearing. Upon clicking it, she was greeted with footage of Looker furiously fumbling with wires and a small laptop.

"You did it!" Anabel cheered, earning a proud chuckle from her boss.

"It was nothing. Now, let's get a good look at those bastards who took Looker, eh?"

Anabel let out a small giggle, "Where was that guy who wanted nothing to do with this mission from earlier,"

"Talking with a rogue agent who's on the verge of being fired if she doesn't quit it with the quips," Anabel's boss replied with a laugh.

Turning their attention back on the mission at hand, the two of them watched over the footage. On it, Looker had just opened up his laptop. What was on it, they couldn't quite see.

"Boss, change the camera angle," Ordered Anabel.

"I can't. I was only able to piece in footage from one camera. It could've taken days for me to piece back the entire thing."

Anabel cursed under her breath, but kept silent. Viewing the footage, the two of them looked at it with fierce, unblinking eyes. Neither dared look away for fear of missing what event could have taken Looker. They finally blinked when a large figure came at Looker from the side and slammed his laptop shut. A wave of static began appearing in front of the footage as that happened, earning a gasp from Anabel.

"What's happening out there, Anabel?" Her boss demanded.

A harsh beeping noise from another tab was their answer.

"Anabel, get out of there, now!" Her boss shouted, "We're being tracked! They've shut down the video feed! You need to leave! NOW!"

Anabel pursed her lips, "But...We already have the vi-"

"If you don't leave, Anabel, you'll end up just like Looker! If they're only after us after this long, we can safely assume they don't have any agents here, so we'll be free to view the rest of it later. I've already memorized the code process, so we can resume where we left off, but if you get captured here, we're back at square one! Call me heartless, but I'm not going to finish this mission by myself if you end up like Looker! I have an entire International Police to run!"

Anabel growled and clenched her hands to the point where she thought they would bleed.

"ANABEL!"

"FINE!"

With a few clicks, the computer was shut off and Anabel rose from her seat.

"But mark my words, I am coming back with or without you."

"Keep it up, and it'll be the latter. NOW GET OUT OF THERE!"

Bursting out of the front doors, Anabel quickly hopped onto her motorcycle and took off. She didn't know where her helmet was, and she certainly wasn't going to bother looking with these guys on her tail.

"How can I lose them, boss?" Anabel asked over the earpiece.

"You sho-"

The Head of the International Police was cut off by a loud explosion and the earpiece was ripped from her ear by the harsh winds that erupted from it. Turning the bike sharply, to avoid being burnt to cinders, Anabel was thrown from her bike and sent rolling harshly onto the road. She managed to get onto her feet only to be swept off them, landing her on her back. Scrambling frantically, she ripped a Pokeball from her pockets and tossed it into the air, only for a streak of white to slice it in half and make the ball explode. Anabel watched in horror as her Pokemon died above her, not even getting the chance to fight. But she had no time for grieving. As sick and twisted the thought was, the explosion of the Pokeball gave the perfect cover. Hopping to her feet, the agent sprung into an alleyway behind a corner. She covered her mouth, attempting to hide her breath along with the tears dripping down her face as the full weight of the loss of her Pokemon dawned on her. Alakazam, who'd remained quite possibly her most faithful partner and friend...was now dead...but she was an agent. She had to keep her wits about her, else both her and the remainder of her team would end up in a similar manner. She couldn't release another Pokemon; whoever was hunting her would hear it and kill her on the spot. No, if she were to survive this, only her wits would get her out of this alive. Wiping away her tears, she peered out from her corner.

There was nothing.

Anabel scowled and returned to hiding. She knew the moment she walked back out there, she was dead. And whoever was hunting her was fast...fast enough to destroy her Alakazam's Pokeball fast enough to destroy it without it being able to release its contents whilst being completely unseen. Her only chance was to wait...no, if she waited, she'd only give them more time to call reinforcements. The longer she waited, the larger the chance that she would end up completely surrounded. Analyzing her surroundings, she found that a line of hedges led outward. This was her one and only chance. She slowly inched her way into the bushes, but just as she fully entered them, she heard a particularly sharp gust of wind. They were closing in. Slowly moving through the bushes, she peered out to see a large clearing. That only looked like death. Slowly closing the branches, she continued her endeavors through the bushes in hidden. She heard it again. That sharp gust of wind. Was it...stalking her? Either way, she had to keep moving. This didn't seem like a threat that'd give up easily. The agent really wished she still had that earpiece. Her boss's wise words would be very appreciated right now. But she was alone...alone and afraid. Afraid that any single mistake; any single step out of line or stutter in movement would result in her ending up...like Alakazam. The image of Alakazam's Pokeball being sliced in two before exploding flashed in her vision. It was obvious she wouldn't be escaping this without scars.

She was suddenly blinded by an intense light. How was it this bright?! Was it...was it night already? How much time had passed?! It was only then when she realised there was more than one of these lights, and that they were in pairs. Were they...headli-

A sharp pain erupted from her back. Everything went silent. She watched with dazed eyes as the world itself seemingly spun in circles. Anabel's body was sent spiraling across the open field as a large, black van rushed into the bushes where Anabel was hiding, veering into her with a sickening crack. Finally, the agent came to a stop, sprawled on her back in a pile of shattered bones. She couldn't even scream, only let out choked gasps. She managed to struggle enough to look up to see a figure slowly walking towards her, shadowed by the lights. The figure looked down on her cruelly with crimson eyes amidst a blackened, void-like face. With the last of her dwindling senses, Anabel looked to her side amidst blood-smeared eyes to see a Pokeball beside her. In horrible desperation, she thoughtlessly reached for the ball, her senses shattered alongside her skeleton. Suddenly, a streak of white crashed into the ground beside her to reveal the shadowed figure glaring into her widened, fearful eyes as their foot drove into the Pokeball, crushing it beneath their feet and sending fire and smoke outward. Anabel soundlessly reared her head back from the fiery explosion of her Pokeball. Her senses were gone and the fact that her Pokemon was obliterated in an instant went unnoticed. All she could think of with her fractured skull was one thing. A single, primordial thought: Survival. She turned away from the fires, her face being doused with them nonetheless. The shadow peered over her, holding something in its hand. Her earpiece.

" _You should have learned from the last one...not to go prying into other people's business. The International Police...master will find this very...very...interesting…_ "

With a wordless motion of his hand to someone outside of Anabel's dwindling vision, the shadow turned away and left. However, a larger shadow appeared in its place. Yellow eyes peered down at her, glaring into her very soul. It grinned cruelly. It was Tyranitar, who'd come for seconds. The large Pokemon raised its mighty foot, and the last thing Anabel ever saw as her vision faded to black was the shadow of its foot racing down to meet her head.

* * *

After having won their third Gym Badges from the retired Lieutenant Surge, Ash and Serena were making their way towards their next destination: Celadon City for their fourth Gym Badge that was being held by Erika, the Grass-Type Gym Leader and owner of the Rainbow Badge. But being a Grass-Type Gym Leader would entail that they are surrounded by flora and forestation which, unfortunately for Ash and Serena, was the case. They had been walking for hours in this blasted, dark forest due to Ash's insistence that they still had plenty of day.

"Ya know, Ash," Serena said, "The point of a journey is to enjoy it while it lasts. It's been, what, a week since we first got back to Kanto?"

"Well yeah," Ash retorted, his hands folded behind his neck nonchalantly while his partner slept on his head, "But I've already beaten all these guys before. You're only talkin' like this because you wanna stop for the night, right?"

Serena let out an exasperated sigh, "Ya got me...so, can we do that then?"

Ash shot her a smile, "Sure!"

Serena's eyes practically sparkled at that, "Wow, really?!"

"Yeah, once we get to Celadon!"

Serena tripped in both fatigue and disbelief, falling flat on her face with a thud.

"Aaaash!" The female trainer whined, inducing a laugh from Ash.

"Haha, alright fine. We'll settle here for the night."

"For real this time?" Serena pleaded.

Ash nodded in response, "Mhm! But, I don't think the rocky trail right here would be comfortable for either of us, right?"

Without waiting for a response, Ash took Serena by the hand and pulled her to her feet, "C'mon, let's go find a field of grass to sleep in or somethin' "

Serena let out something that Ash could only be described as a yawn and a groan, but nodded weakly anyways, rubbing an eye tiredly. The two began scouring the darkened night forest for an open field, walking past tree after tree. A glint caught Serena's eye for a moment, but it disappeared the moment she noticed it. However, in the glint's disappearance, she noticed something else.

"Hey, Ash!" She called, "I think I found something!"

Intrigued, Ash peeked his head, which Pikachu was still passed out on, from behind a tree and jogged his way over to meet her.

"Whatcha find?"

"I think I found that field we're looking for," Announced Serena, pointing through the trees. As Ash tilted his head to see what she was talking about, he was greeted by a large open field coated in grass. From their standpoint, the field was declining slightly, just enough so that they could easily look at the starry skies above.

"Wow, nice going, Serena!" Ash praised, "That's perfect!"

Serena, however, didn't have the energy to be as thrilled anymore.

"Greeeat," She yawned, "Now...how about we…"

That was as far as Serena got before she promptly collapsed from exhaustion in Ash's arms.

"Aw, geez," Ash said with a weak smile. He looked up at Pikachu sleeping on his head, "Yeah, maybe it is a good time to settle for the night…"

Carrying Serena in his arms bridal style, he made his way down through the remaining trees and into the open field. He stared down at the small decline below him. It looked incredibly welcoming. He slid down the hill and turned his heel to halt his momentum once he'd made his way down some. Gently placing Serena down, he took Pikachu off of his hat and put him next to Serena, who'd curled into Serena's neck on reflex. With one last stretch, Ash plopped down next to his two partners and curled his arms behind his head to look up at the stars. It was the perfect view of the infinite void of space. Anyone in his situation would have fallen asleep by now due to such a relaxing scenario. However, Ash couldn't bring himself to fall asleep. It was odd; he didn't even feel tired in the slightest. Even for one as energetic as him, he usually didn't have many problems sleeping. No matter how much he twisted and turned, he couldn't even bring himself to feel tired in the slightest. After about an hour, Ash finally got fed up with it and hopped up from the grass in exasperation.

"Gaaahh!" Cried Ash, "Why can't I sleep?!"

He looked down on Serena and Pikachu enviously, "I never thought the day would come when I'd want that Jigglypuff to come back. Maybe a walk'll tire me out."

Sliding down the remainder of the hill, he made his way into the forest once more. He spent nearly half an hour out there until he finally came to another clearing. This one was completely flat, however, but the grass was incredibly tall. The trainer slowly walked towards the center of the field, looking around the forest on edge. Not even he knew why; something in the back of his mind was practically screaming for him to stay alert. Suddenly, Ash was blinded by an incredibly bright light. Oddly enough, Ash was able to regain his vision fairly quickly. Though, questioning it was the least of his concerns; especially when the source of the light, which he found to be a black, offroading truck with lights strapped to the top of it, rushed forward. Before Ash knew what he was doing, his body seemed to lurch back on its own. The truck rushed forward once more, attempting to close the gap, but Ash would have none of it.

"Who are you?!" He called out to the truck, "What do you want from me?!"

No response. Ash couldn't even see who was driving the truck. The windshield was pitch black, alongside the rest of the truck. The truck, once again, attempted to close the gap. It let out a menacing revving noise and bolted at Ash, to which Ash's body once again bolted backwards on its own. Ash caught a glimpse of himself in the windshield's reflection and he saw that his eyes were an azure, shimmering blue. But stuff like this could be questioned when he _didn't_ have some crazed maniac in a truck chasing him. Turning on his heel, he sprinted out of the grass and into a direction, any direction, into the woods. He felt incredibly light on his feet. As he sped into the woods, he could see trees flying by him.

 _What the...heck is happening?!_ , The young trainer thought to himself.

He had no time to ponder, however. Ash could see the lights from the truck through the trees, and it was easily keeping speed with him. Ash growled and turned his attention in front of him, just in time to sidestep a tree that would have been in his path. He narrowed his eyes as he saw there were more. Pressing his heel into the ground, he dodged to the right as another tree flew by him and slid underneath a tree that had fallen over and impacted another, but jumped back to his feet in time to hurl himself over a stump.

Ash's blue eyes widened as he saw a familiar pair of bright lights burst from the woods. In response, Ash's body seemingly began to move on its own once more and he launched himself onto the hood of the truck and sprung over it, sprinting into the woods again. He didn't know where he was going. Just that he needed to. There was a voice in the back of his head screaming at him, and though Ash couldn't discern what exactly it was saying, he knew what it wanted, and he was happy to oblige.

The trainer barged through a piece of bramble blocking his path and peered to his right to see the eerie lights keeping pace with him. And when he turned to the left, he saw the same thing. There were two of them?! Ash heard the intense sound of an engine revving and foliage collapsing back over to his right and turned back around just in time to jump back away from the truck attempting to ram into him from the side. But in doing so, he stopped short when he felt metal on his back, nearly making him trip. Yet he was able to keep his balance...oddly easily. But still, they had him pinned.

An idea sprang to Ash's mind. Ash suddenly stopped in his tracks, digging his heels into the soil and grinding to a halt before swiftly turning around and bolting the other way, allowing the two trucks to go flying behind him. Ash couldn't help but smirk even in this dire situation. It was his competitive side somehow showing itself even now. As he sprinted, his smirk gave way to a look of concern and finally desperation once more as he could practically _feel_ the trucks gaining back up on him, and fast. Ash let out a gasp as air suddenly left his lungs and his back arched backward. He was sent sprawling through dirt and foliage before finally coming to a stop. As the boy slowly came back to his feet, he noticed a faint blue glow on his arm that disappeared the moment he looked at it. What was happening?!

The boy grunted and winced as he attempted to spring back into a sprint. His odd little boost of stamina was fading, and he ended up tripping over himself and falling back over in a heap. He noticed as he got up for a third time that he was in the same field he started in...and he could see a familiar pair of lights reflecting off of the dew of the grass. But that's odd...since there was two trucks, shouldn't there be four-

 _ **VVRRRRRRRMMMMMM!**_

The second set of lights appeared in front of him once more and began closing in on his position quickly. Ash desperately pleaded for that voice in the back of his head to return, but both it and that burst of power were gone. Ash ended up simply falling forward as he attempted to burst into that sprint once more. The two trucks were there. Even before Ash got up for a final time, he knew they were looming over him on either side. As Ash flipped over onto his back, he was suddenly blinded by a bright light from the top of each truck that shined down directly onto his face.

With one of Ash's remaining four senses, he heard the slamming of car doors. He slowly opened his eyes to see four shadows surrounding him. Finally, his sight returned to him, allowing him to see his four pursuers. They all had identical-looking black suits on that covered their entire bodies, except for their faces which was covered with equally-colored black gas masks. They each had a patch over their hearts that looked like an explosion in space surrounded by stars. They each held out an arm and thin metal rods erupted from their fists. The pressed a button on them with their thumbs and the rods began sparking blue menacingly.

" _Ash Ketchum_ ," One of them spoke, " _You will come with us_."

Ash gritted his teeth, "Who are you people?! What do you want with me?!"

One of them chuckled ominously, " _When next you awaken...you will soon find out_."

Unbeknownst to Ash, one of them approached Ash from behind. He held up the sparking rod and aimed it at the nape of the boy's neck. Just as he began to bring his arm down, his other arm was impacted from the side by an orb of blue that bent it inward with a sickening snap, sending the figure crashing into the black truck and falling in a heap, limply letting loose the sparking rod rolling to his side.

The other three figures reeled back in shock.

" _What the hell?!_ "

Ash and the remaining three figures turned to the direction the orb was fired to see two more figures walking towards them, cloaked in the shadows of the bright blue lights they were giving off.

" _I dunno who the hell you think you are,_ " One of the figures in black suits said to the newcomers, " _But if you think you're leaving here alive after that, you are SORELY MISTAKEN!_ "

The black-suited figure who issued the threat charged the two newcomers with his taser rod and swung at the one on the right...only for them to catch it in their hand.

" _What...in the fu_ -"

The other new figure took the opportunity to swing around behind the black-suited figure and charged another blue sphere in its hand before planting in in their aggressor's back and jumped backward while the other one formed some sort of semi visible blue sphere around the black-suited figure just in time to catch and trap the ensuing explosion from the sphere inside it with the black-suited figure.

When the blinding explosion faded, the two remaining black-suited figures were greeted with the thud of their comrade hitting the ground at their feet.

" _DAMN YOOOUUU!_ " One of the two bellowed as he prepared to charge the newcomers as well, until the one at his side pulled him backward.

" _Don't go blindly rushing at them you idiot!"_ He hissed, " _We've already seen how that worked out. We don't know what we're dealing with...but neither do they. Let's be smart for a second and use that to our advantage_."

" _R-right,"_ The other one said, " _Sorry. So, then, what's your plan?_ "

His response was his partner pulling out a small black can from his pocket and throwing it on the ground, coating the area in a thick smoke which caused Ash to begin a coughing fit. Yet the newcomers remained unperturbed as they slowly made their way over.

A rod swung from the smoke at one of the figures, only for them to once again catch it in their hands and snap it in half, tossing the remains of the rod to his side, to which the black-suited figure begrudgingly tossed his half away as well and backed away, disappearing into the smoke. The newcomer's partner turned away from them just in time to duck underneath the other black-suited figure swinging his taser rod and brought up their...paw? To meet with the suited figure's chest. The black-suited figure managed to land back on his feet and retreat back into the black smoke where the two of them met back-to-back.

" _What the hell are these guys?!_ " One of them hissed, clutching his aching chest, " _They aren't bothered by the smoke and they can predict our movements!_ "

" _I don't know. They certainly aren't human, though. Maybe the kid's Pokemon? It doesn't matter. Anyways, if these are Pokemon, they'd have to be Psychic types, and if they were, they'd have obviously immobilized us by now. No, these guys are just keen, that's all. We just have to outwit them. We have to catch them off guard, and then victory is ours_."

" _Well said. Alright, let's do this._ "

With that, the two mysterious figures disappeared into the black smoke once more. One of the figures jumped at the newcomers from the smoke, aiming for a punch to the head only to meet air. The newcomer had easily ducked underneath the punch and retaliated with an elbow which was caught by the black-suited figure.

"Really?" One of the newcomers spoke, "You're attacking with only your fists now? Have you run out of toys already?"

Their response was another wordless punch aimed at their face. The newcomer raised their hand to catch the punch until they suddenly bolted backwards just in time to avoid a long blade shooting out from a slot in the suit above the knuckle.

"Apparently not, then."

" _Tell me,_ " The black-suited figure said, " _Why are you protecting that boy? Are you a friend or something?_ "

"You could say that."

The newcomer ducked down and lunged at the figure, aiming for an uppercut. In response, the figure managed to reel his head back just barely enough to avoid it and lunged out with the blade on his arm, only to find air. The newcomer had jumped skyward and lunged down with an axe kick that took the figure's shoulder with an audible snap. If the figure had been any less disciplined, he would have collapsed on the spot. But he had a mission to fulfill.

"You'd do well to surrender now."

The figure's face twisted in rage, not that it could be seen.

" _I'd sooner die_."

Lunging out with his left arm, he aimed a punch with speed that caught the newcomer off guard, who barely managed to jump backward in time to avoid another blade erupting from this arm was well. The blade had just stopped inches before coming in contact with the newcomer's nose. But respite from that was not something the newcomer would be granted, and the figure had to sidestep as the blade lunged forward again. Taking advantage of this, the newcomer saw that the figure's arm was now fully outstretched...and exposed. Quickly taking action, the newcomer sidestepped again and delivered a devastating karate chop to the figure's remaining arm with another sickening crunch.

The other figure wasn't having much luck either. Even though he still had his taser rod, he wasn't able to hit his target in the slightest. Though he'd like to believe he was keeping his target on the ropes, none of his strikes were connecting. And what was pissing him off even more was that his target wasn't even fighting back! They were just sidestepping over and over!

" _You little- stand still, damn you!"_

The figure's prayers went unanswered, and the two of them continued their little dance in the smoke. Finally, the other newcomer stretched out a punch that connected with the figure's face. However, the figure managed to stay on his feet and retaliate with a swing that managed to catch the newcomer off guard. Quickly protecting themselves with their arms, the figure hissed in pain as the taser made contact. Furiously, the newcomer summoned a flash of blue around themselves and bellowed, blowing away the fog and sending their opponent flying into the truck that hadn't yet been impacted.

"Easy there, Lucario," The other newcomer said to his partner, "Our objective isn't to kill them. You're letting your emotions take the better of you again."

Lucario let out a sigh, looking down at the spike on the back of his hand that had been sliced and replied to his partner through his Aura, unbeknownst to the only remaining black-suited figure, " _You're right, Riley. I should know better_."

"Do not beat yourself up too hard over it."

" _What the hell?!_ " The remaining black-suited figure roared, " _So you_ are _a Pokemon! But you...what the hell are you?!_ "

Riley chuckled at his opponent, "A magician never reveals his secrets."

Riley was preparing to deliver one final strike to the black-suited figure's head when a voice rang out.

" _Stop! Don't you dare move or I'll BLOW THE KID'S HEAD OFF!_ "

The three of them turned to the source of the voice to see the black-suited figure who had initially been sent flying into one of the trucks by Lucario's Aura Sphere now holding Ash in a chokehold with some odd metal-looking object that Riley couldn't identify being held up to the boy's head. Regardless, if the figure regarded it as a weapon, Riley wasn't about to assume otherwise.

" _Nice going!"_ Cheered the black-suited figure who'd been fighting Riley, " _How resourceful of you._ "

Riley glared at the figure holding Ash hostage fiercely before sighing in defeat and letting his arms fall to his sides.

"Very well. What are your demands?"

Lucario was taken aback, " _Riley, you can't mean to-_ "

" _We can't let him die!_ " Riley retorted through their Auric bond, " _And not to mention, you felt it too, didn't you? His Aura is incredible!_ "

Lucario growled, " _Still…_ "

Luckily for them, it seemed this figure still had a few screws loose from his impact with the truck as he suddenly turned the metal object towards Riley.

" _I demand...that YOU DIE, YOU BASTARD!_ "

A horrendously loud bang ensued from whatever metal object the black-suited figure was holding and Riley was forced to sidestep with widened eyes as he witnessed a tiny metal shard slowly fly by him until his reflexes wore off, allowing the metal shard to go sailing into the trees faster than he could calculate.

" _DIE, DAMN YOU, DIE!"_

More loud bangs from the guns ensued and Riley was forced to put up a defensive barrier to keep himself from becoming swiss cheese. He was astonished at the speed and power those tiny little projectiles had in them. Even now, he was still struggling more than he'd like to with these tiny things. Finally, the bangs stopped and were replaced with vastly quieter clicking noises and Riley was allowed the chance to redirect the metal projectiles harmlessly into the sky.

"Phew," Riley said, allowing his arms to fall downward.

" _YOU IDIOT!"_ Bellowed the other remaining black-suited figure, " _WE HAD THEM RIGHT WHERE WE WANTED THEM, AND YOU WASTED ALL YOUR BULLETS?!_ "

Ash's eyes flashed blue once more for a split second, allowing his body to move on its own once more and deliver an elbow into his captor's face which allowed him to break free.

"Nice work!" Riley cheered, "Now, let's finish this up."

"You two," The Aura Guardian said menacingly, his face darkening from the shade of his hat, "I'm only going to say this once. Leave."

The figure with the now-empty gun stood back up and entered a battle position, " _OH, YOU THINK IT'S THAT EASY, HUH?! WELL, WE'LL SHOW Y-_ "

" _SHUT UP, YOU DAMNED IDIOT! DO YOU WANT TO DIE HERE?!_ "

Everyone turned their attention on the figure with the broken arms who began speaking once more.

" _We've lost. Both my arms are broken, you obviously have brain damage, and the others are out cold. Dying here will do nothing for us. Loathe as I am to let you drive in your state, we need to get out of here!"_

" _Don't forget this one_ ," Lucario said to them, not that they could hear it, and threw the figure who'd been knocked out afar back to them, landing in the back of one of the trucks.

The figure with at least one good arm remaining tossed the last figure in the back of the truck and hopped in, but the final figure turned around one last time.

" _We'll be back,_ " He said simply before jumping in the back of the truck with his fallen comrades in time for the truck to speed off, although swerving from side to side a bit.

"Huh," Riley noted, "They left the other truck behind. What should we-"

Before Riley could finish the sentence, Lucario shot an Aura Sphere at the remaining black truck and making it explode with a near-deafening boom.

Riley could only shake his head in exasperation and sigh, "Well, that takes care of that at least. As for you…"

Ash blinked, "Me? Sorry, I'm just trying to...process what happened...oh yeah, thanks for the save, by the way. They would've got me if you hadn't come!"

Riley chuckled, "Indeed. You're lucky Lucario and I sensed your aura, or we might not have found you."

Ash stood back onto his feet and gave Riley an odd look, "Aura? Now why does that sound familiar?"

" _Say_ ," Lucario said to his partner, unbeknownst to Ash, " _Isn't this the boy who assisted in liberating those Team Galactic cretins from Iron Island two years ago_?"

" _I think you're right, Lucario. Good eye. Though, I didn't remember him having such incredible aura back then_."

" _It isn't important. We've saved him, so let us bid him farewell and continue our search for the Tree of Life_."

" _Lucario, isn't it our duty as Aura Guardians to train a fellow Aura-user? Especially one with this much potential_."

Lucario closed his eyes and let out a low growl, " _Maybe so, but I think our journey to the Tree of Life is of much greater importance. We can train the boy afterward, if that creature we sensed hasn't already destroyed the world by then, if Iron Island wasn't enough of a sign_."

" _Who's to say we can't train him along the way?_ "

" _Riley, do you even know how long that would take? We can come back later, if need be_."

" _Yes, but what if the two of us aren't enough? The more the merrier, you know_?"

Lucario let out a growl and put a paw to his face, " _I'm not even going to bother arguing with you further. If we're too slow with our journey to the Tree to alert the Legends because of this, it's on your head_."

" _I'm prepared for that, partner_."

"Umm," Ash spoke up. He'd been watching his two saviors making odd hand gestures at each other silently for the past five minutes and frankly, he was afraid to even ask.

Riley suddenly clapped his hands and turned to Ash, making the boy jump, "Well, then. Congratulations; we'll be your teachers in Aura from now on!"

Ash waved his hands in front of him, shaking his head, "Woah, woah, woah. Aura teachers? What even IS aura? And do I even have a say in this?"

"Somethin's telling me you already know what aura is, right?" Riley asked with a grin, avoiding the last question.

Ash put a hand to his chin in deep thought for a few seconds until he finally gave up, shaking his head, "Nope, not a clue."

Riley sweatdropped, attempting to keep his grin in place while Lucario simply groaned behind him.

"Well, we'll help you figure it out eventually."

* * *

 _ **Celadon City, former Team Rocket hideout beneath the Game Corner.**_

...There were eyes everywhere. Always watching...always watching...scribbling down notes on their little writing pads at the slightest twitch...this...was routine...it was life...the only life I'd ever known. They rarely allowed my exit of my casing anymore...the water and glass was all I ever felt these days. When I had been let out, I had met wondrous creatures. Frogs that could shoot water, lizards who could shoot fire, and creatures who could move things with their minds. But I never saw them twice. I had only been allowed to play with them a short time before we were taken to an odd machine each time. It...hurt...but it always ended, and soon it stopped hurting...but the creatures...never exited the machine. Every time they made me go in the machine, it hurt less and less each time. The last time I went in, it didn't hurt at all...but where did the creatures go? When I asked the doctors where they went, they always either turned away or said "Inside you." ...I never understood what it meant, but one day the doctors said I wouldn't be seeing them anymore. They said I had met every one of those creatures that I could...all the doctors ever did was...stare at me...it makes me mad sometimes...I can't talk to them anymore because I never get let out of here...the water...is...hard to breathe in...I want to see them again…

An eerie chuckling echoed throughout the facility room. An old scientist with a hunched back, purple hair that curved in the back and had two streaks running from the top of his head, and a patch over his heart with the image of an explosion in space being surrounded by stars chuckled as he gazed upon his latest project...Project 0. A creature built from nothing but a single strand of human DNA.

"Sir," Another doctor said to him, "Project 0's powers have almost fully matured. The Pokemon we've fused into her are beginning to take their course."

The old scientist wheezed out a short cackle, "Good...when are they expected to take full effect?"

"In three months, sir."

"And the Shadow Pokemon serum we ordered from Orre?"

"The vials are expected to reach here by tomorrow at latest."

A sinister grin tore at the old scientist's face, "Then we've no need to wait. If we inject her with it, the process should speed up immensely."

"You can't mean...all of it, sir?"

The old scientist shot his underling a dark, paralyzing glare, "Are you questioning me?"

The younger scientist instinctively backed away, "N-no, sir, I was just worried that she might not be able to handle it. Project 0's body has matured, but her body is still that of a child. There's a great possibility that she'll die from so much Shadow Serum being injected into her."

"Thousands of Pokemon have been subjected to the Shadow Serum and lived," The old scientist retorted, "And Project 0 is far more Pokemon than human. She is the only subject of thousands that has survived thus far...she will live."

"...If you say so, sir."

...What...are they saying…? Sh...adows? Does this mean...I will finally...be let free once more…?

* * *

 _ **AN**_

Creator: Sweet mother of Arceus...Chapter 9 is finally out! After a month and a half of hiatus, we're finally back! ...Though, to say we're back is to say we're confident it won't happen again, which we're not, sadly. We'll try, that's for sure. It's just that I usually have the opposite problem when writing fics. I'm garbage at writing dialogue, but amazing, at least I'd like to think so, at writing fighting scenes...which doesn't bode well considering random dialogue, which I again suck at, is the majority of a chapter. Chapter 10 is a Gym Battle, and those are usually pretty easy to write, and Chapter 11 will shed some light on what that last scene was about...TheOGPokemonMaster knows what it's about, that's for sure. ...and yeah, if you couldn't tell already, these chapters are getting a lot darker and more brutal. Anabel's death was a lot more vivid than Looker's, that's for sure.

Hydra: Well I am very sorry it took this long we have our whole vision planned out on how we want this story to go. The only problem is the execution and events that lead up to the big points of the story are very hard to make and plan out I think a lot of other writers know what I'm talking about so I'm just asking you guys to bare with us don't worry because once we get further in it will be much easier to write.

Creator: With that, let's get ROOOOOOOOIIIGHT INTO THE REVIEEEEEWWWWS!

 **Armorshippingfan**

"Good chapter I liked Ash's battle with Surge and I liked how Serena realized that if she wants to grow stronger she has to without relying on Ash all the time and I hope the Legendaries warn Ash about Necrozma and fast"

Creator: Our most loyal Reviewer, I cannot apologize enough for making you wait this long for such a short chapter. And yeah, the battle with Surge and Black was one of my personal favorites I've written, so thanks! ...Necrozma VS Three Birds and Lugia is still gonna be my fav for a while.

Hydra: I personally loved the chase scene in this chapter the most, but glad you liked the battle between Ash and Surge. I can tell you're probably gonna love what we have planned for the next chapter.

 **TeamPiperM**

"Sorry. Guess I missed the last chapter! Anyway, great battle with Surge there! Sad he has to go, even if he called everyone "baby." Also, screw Christopher Lee...though it's awfully convenient of him to show up again. I'm starting to think that he's a more than a rambling buffoon…"

Creator: Eh, it's no problem, man. Chapter 7 wasn't much to look at. And yeah, I wanted to make all the Gym Leaders seem lovable before sending them off.

Hydra: ...that's an interesting hypothesis you have there.

Creator: Once again, we're incredibly sorry for the delay and we'll _try_ to get the next chapter done much faster this time. When inspiration hits, inspiration hits, I guess. However, I am writing another, albeit shorter, story called One Punch SCP that focuses on Saitama and Genos from One Punch Man being captured by the SCP Foundation, but they escape during the events of Containment Breach. So, if you wanna read something during our downtime, there ya go. Oh, and remember to review! It speeds up a Chapter's progress, after all.

Hydra: I'm so very sorry for the delay I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter as I've said before don't worry guys we know how we want the story to go, the only problem is describing the events leading up to the whole point of the fic. Once we get there it will be much easier to write and will greatly inspire us, but enough of that we hope you guys enjoyed the chapter and look forward to taking you guys on a long epic journey thank you for being patient with us and have a nice week.


	10. Chapter 10: Chaos

The night sky was pitch black. Dark, looming clouds hung over a forest landscape that was teeming with life. In the midst of this forest a plateau stood tall, elevated over the surrounding lands. At the top of the plateau was a beautiful, shimmering lake that somehow shined even amongst the darkness of the night. A foreboding breeze began billowing, shaking the leaves and any foliage that happened to be in its way. A shadow could be seen moving in the dark clouds far above, slowly prowling until it hovered directly over the plateau.

A ball of white shot down from the ominous clouds, dividing them and sending them scattering across the sky into oblivion and exposing the bright full moon above. The orb of energy careened downwards, aiming to erase the plateau below from existence but was stopped when a violet barrier appeared, surrounding the plateau. The orb barreled into the violet bubble, threatening to punch through. Lightning from the collision between the two energies darted outwards, sending sparks flying across the night sky until the bubble began to unravel from the ground, instead surrounding the ball of white. Once it had the orb surrounded, the two energies were blasted back into the sky where they detonated violently. The sky above was lit up as the explosion wreaked across the sky until finally, everything once again faded to black.

A familiar being of pitch black descended from the dark skies slowly; its arms crossed as it smirked at the plateau below. In turn, a light purple, almost feline-looking creature floated up to meet with the dark creature with a scowl painted on its face.

" _So,_ " The feline creature spoke, looking their adversary dead in the eyes, " _You must be Necrozma, I presume?_ "

In turn, Necrozma let out a dark, almost mechanical-sounding chuckle dripping with malice, " _ **My, my. Word really does travel fast around these parts**_."

The feline creature narrowed their eyes, " _Well? You have my attention. What do you want from me?_ "

The feline could practically sense their dark adversary's menacing grin, despite it not having a face, " _ **What I want from you? Ha...If you're offering, then…**_ "

Necrozma let out a wave of what Mewtwo could only describe as chaos. Waves of crimson red oozing from Necrozma's body and shooting in every visible direction. Equally-colored lightning seeped from the dark monster's body, streaking across the skies and raking into the ground below, save the plateau oddly enough. Mewtwo felt what could only be described as pure, all-encompassing dread as Necrozma wreaked his havoc. Mewtwo could hardly breathe; for this ungodly energy seemed to trap the air in the psychic feline's throat. Mewtwo couldn't look away from the dark demon's eyes as the energy shooting from the demon practically described what it wanted to do to them. Mewtwo...felt fear…

" _ **I want you to scream when I break every bone in your body. I want you to scramble for your life on broken legs as I scatter your innards across the forest floor. I WANT YOU TO SCREAM. TO BEG. TO PLEAD FOR YOUR LIFE AS I TEAR YOU TO BLOODY PIECES AND OBLITERATE YOUR CRIMSON REMAINS. I WANT YOUR DEATH TO BE ONE OF PURE FEAR AND AGONY AS I SLOWLY TEAR YOU LIMB FROM LIMB IN THIS PURE, ALL ENCOMPASSING DARKNESS!**_ "

Mewtwo had no time to prepare as a dark fist struck him across the face. The very forest itself quaked from the ferocity of the punch. The psychic Pokémon found himself ripping through tree after tree uncontrollably, leaving a ravine in his path. Finally, Mewtwo reeled his senses back to him and outstretched his arms to finally halt his movement. Scowling, the Legend brought back his wits from the depths Necrozma's display sent them to.

" _DAMN YOU, NECROZMA!" Mewtwo bellowed into the open night, "YOU WILL NEVER LEAVE THIS PLACE ALIVE!"_

" _ **Funny…**_ " A voice spoke into Mewtwo's ear, " _ **I was going to say the same thing**_ **.** "

Mewtwo whipped around and hurled a Shadow Ball into the empty dead of night, watching it sail hopelessly into the darkened sky. A sweat broke from the legend's temple. He scanned everywhere around him, as far as his eyes could see, but could detect nothing. Not even his innate ability to sense those around him with his psychic powers could detect any life forms around him, save for the clone Pokemon under his protection.

" _The Clone Pokemon!_ " Mewtwo shouted in realization. He hadn't sensed any abnormalities in their life forces, but with that _monster_ Arceus-knows-where nearby, they were in grave danger.

Mewtwo blitzed towards the plateau he and his underlings called home in a desperate frenzy, tearing some of the leaves off of the trees far below him with his sheer speed. A black fist tore into the psychic legend's flight path with a thunderous crash that blasted the nearby ground below in every possible direction.

" _ **And where do you think you're going**_?"

Mewtwo balked, for it was all his body could manage to do, hanging limply from the black demon's wrist. At first, he couldn't feel pain. Hell, he couldn't even feel the impact. Mewtwo couldn't feel a damn thing, let alone move to look up at the monster. As his senses returned to him, Mewtwo inwardly cursed at the situation. One punch...one punch was all it took to devastate the proud psychic legend and reduce him to a complete lack of mobility.

" _ **Well?**_ " Demanded Necrozma, " _ **Do not tell me that one strike has broken you already.**_ "

He received no reply, earning a dejected sigh from Necrozma.

" _ **Legends...you truly are nothing but scum.**_ "

Necrozma savagely whipped his arm to launch Mewtwo off of him and appeared, once again, in the psychic legend's flight path to grab him by the back of his head. If Necrozma had a face, a cruel, wicked smile would be taking up a large sum of it.

" _ **Well as long as we're not going anywhere...let's have some fun, shall we?**_ "

Necrozma hurled Mewtwo into the ground below and pursued after him. Mewtwo wasn't even given the luxury of letting out a gasp as he impacted the ground with enough force to turn a chunk of the forest into a crater by the time Necrozma plunged a fist into Mewtwo's back. Mewtwo struggled to keep his eyes open at this point, much less be able to stand.

Necrozma loomed over the beaten legend with as much of a scowl as his lack of facial features could muster. " _ **...Get up.**_ " He commanded. When he received no response, he pointed a glowing finger at the fallen Pokemon. " _ **Do you have a death wish? I said GET UP!"**_

The prismatic beast shot a small white beam into Mewtwo's shoulder, eliciting a weak, agonized cry from the psychic feline. Despite that, however, the legend couldn't find the strength to attempt to save himself.

Necrozma scowled and fired another beam into Mewtwo's back, " _ **What, are you suicidal or something?**_ "

Mewtwo cursed internally as a brutal sting of pain rushed all throughout his body. His mind told him to scream in agony and make any attempt to flee, but his body was shattered and broken beyond the point of being able to move. What in the Distortion World did this damned monster want from him?!

The black demon stared disdainfully down at his broken toy. His anger had since dissolved into disappointment and boredom, but then an idea struck him. Necrozma chuckled darkly and slowly raised a glowing finger to Mewtwo's broken body once more and the legend prepared for the worst. But suddenly, Necrozma began to point his finger…right in the direction of the plateau that housed the clone Pokemon.

" _ **If you won't continue to serve as my plaything for your own sake…then maybe you would for the sake of your underlings?**_ "

Mewtwo's bloodshot eyes tore open in shock.

" _NO!_ "

" _ **THEN STAND ONCE MORE!**_ "

With a beastial roar, the psychic legend planted his hands onto the floor of the crater his body was planted in and pushed with all his might. Pushing up with broken arms, Mewtwo stood up on shattered legs to give the black demon before him a murderous, defiant glare. This defiance earned Mewtwo an amused, devilish chortle from Necrozma.

" _ **That's it!**_ " Necrozma cried with a bellowing laugh, " _ **Come. Entertain me until your fragile little body crumbles into dust!**_ "

" _HRRRRRAAAAAAAAUUUUUUGGGGHH!"_

Firmly planting a foot forward, Mewtwo focused the last of his meager might into one punch aimed at Necrozma's face…and proceeded to collapse once more at his feet.

If Necrozma could frown, he would surely have one right now.

" _ **...You cannot be serious…**_ " The prismatic demon spat, " _ **Do you really not care about your underlings?!**_ "

Mewtwo failed to respond; his body not even having the strength to speak anymore.

" _ **Very well. Then before you die, your last thoughts will be of your people who you failed to protect**_."

Mewtwo lacked the strength to even raise his head, though not seeing the demise of his underlings could be considered a blessing at this point to him.

" _I'm...sorry…"_

A deafening explosion wreaked throughout the darkened forest. Hails of debris rained from the sky like rain. A small rock landed directly in front of Mewtwo's face, to which he futilely attempted to reach out to. His agonized body, however, thought differently, and the beaten legend slowly began to shut his eyes to accept the fate that awaited him...that is, until he realized something odd. He could still sense the life forces of his underlings. Not only that, but he could sense all the plantlife still intact as well.

" _Kept you waiting, huh?_ " A burly voice rang out.

Rayquaza floated directly in front of the plateau in his Mega form, glaring at Necrozma.

" _Hang in there, Mewtwo,_ " The serpentine legend said, " _I already failed once. I WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN!_ "

Tearing his jaw open, Rayquaza charged a ball of energy in his mouth and shot out an orange laser that tore off the very ground below. Necrozma, however, was far from impressed. Raising a hand, the black demon caught the laser effortlessly and shot back with a white laser of his own that easily overpowered Rayquaza's Hyper Beam. The draconic legend prepared to dodge until he remembered the trapped clone Pokémon behind him. Gritting his teeth, Rayquaza roared and coated himself in a green light before soaring directly through the white beam.

" _DRAGON ASCENT!_ "

Rayquaza slowly pushed the beam backward until he impacted Necrozma's hand, ending the laser's flow at the source.

" _Get out of here!"_ Rayquaza shouted to the clone Pokemon, " _And take Mewtwo to safety!"_

Rayquaza let out a yelp as he was sent hurtling into the ground below.

" _ **Safety?**_ " Necrozma repeated mockingly, " _ **I'm afraid to tell you, but such a thing does not exist with me here**_."

Pointing a finger at the plateau, Necrozma forcibly tore the geological structure from the earth and into the sky far above the dueling creatures.

" _ **The lives of those peons will be our reward**_ ," Necrozma announced, " _ **Whoever wins will decide their fate, so be sure to pray for forgiveness before you meet your creator. After all, their deaths will be on your head**_."

" _What the hell kind of logic is that?!"_ Bellowed Rayquaza as he erupted from the dust below, " _It almost sounds like you think you have a chance!_ "

Necrozma looked genuinely shocked at Rayquaza's response, then that shock turned to laughing and then madly cackling.

" _ **It almost sounds like your heart is ready to explode from all that beating. You can't hide your terror from me, worm.**_ "

" _Are you sure that isn't yours you're thinking of? No, wait, that can't be. Something like you isn't capable of having a heart!_ "

Necrozma chuckled darkly, " _ **Well, you've got me there. My heart has stopped beating long ago**_."

Rayquaza readied a purplish-blue ball of energy in his mouth, " _Then I'll send you straight to hell where you belong!_ "

" _ **...You'll die trying**_."

Rayquaza let loose a bellow with such force that the rubble below that had once been a forest was torn from the ground once more and scattered in a shockwave of rubble. With a crazed glare, the dragon of the skies shot a the ball of energy in his mouth towards the demon before him. In response, Necrozma effortlessly backhanded the ball of energy into the moonlit sky and disappeared from sight. When the mega-evolved legend scoured the lands for his opponent, his vision was eventually met with a black fist that hurtled towards him.

Unable to react in time, Rayquaza was sent helplessly spiraling into the rubble below. A cloud of dust erupted from the legend's impact that obscured him from sight.

" _ **Is that all you have?**_ " Necrozma mocked as he appeared over the cloud of smoke, " _ **I shouldn't be surprised at this point. This planet is filled with nothing but weak scum like you.**_ "

Necrozma extended his arm skyward and opened the palm of his hand. Sparks of white plasma jolted out between the black demon's fingers to create a ball of white energy that drastically increased in size until it blotted out the sky itself.

" _ **Perhaps it would be best if I simply destroyed this worthless pebble of a planet and stopped wasting my time.**_ "

It was at that time when an orange laser tore through and dissipated the dust cloud,shooting past Necrozma into the colossal ball of white energy.

Necrozma stared down at Rayquaza with an unamused look on his face, " _ **Honestly, I was standing completely still. Were you even TRYING to hit me, or are your eyes just as bad as your fighting prowess?**_ "

Rayquaza rose from the ground to meet Necrozma and simply gave him a knowing grin. He motioned for Necrozma to look upwards with his eyes, to which the black demon raised a figurative eyebrow and turned to look up at his gargantuan attack. The leader of the Ultra Beasts' eyes widened in shock as he witnessed his attack bubbling and sparking, looking ready to burst at any moment.

" _ **WHAT IN THE-?!**_ "

Rayquaza seized the opportunity laid out before him and shot at Necrozma with a coat of green surrounding him. Upon collision with the distracted demon, Necrozma was pushed into the center of his own attack. Rushing past Necrozma now that the first phase of Rayquaza's plan had been set in motion, he bolted towards his home in the ozone layer and turned to look down on the planet.

" _NECROZMA!_ " The proud dragon bellowed, " _IF YOU THINK YOU CAN COME TO_ OUR _HOME AND SLAUGHTER_ OUR _PEOPLE, YOU ARE SORELY MISTAKEN!_ "

Tearing open his own jaw to the point where it would nearly snap, Rayquaza charged a Draco Meteor attack over his head. The attack grew to such enormous lengths that to those on the ground below, it almost looked as if daytime had come early.

" _IN THE NAME OF EVERY LIVING BEING ON EARTH, I WILL STRIKE YOU DOWN, NECROZMA_! _**DRACOOOOO...METEOOOOOOORRRRRR!**_ "

Through sheer force and concentration, the serpentine legend heaved the miniature sun down at his currently-trapped opponent. With sheer force and will alone, Rayquaza kept the gargantuan orb in one piece as to focus the entirety of the attack on Necrozma alone. However, Rayquaza's plan was far from finished. Now came phase three: a maximum power Dragon Ascent.

Meanwhile in the ruins of what was once a forest below, Necrozma was struggling to keep his own destabilized attack from exploding with him inside it.

" _ **That damn lizard…**_ ," Seethed Necrozma, " _ **How could I have let such worthless trash put me in this situation?!**_ "

The black demon was suddenly rocked as another tremendous force impacted the white ball of energy he was trapped in. He looked above to see an orange light shining down.

" _ **Grah!**_ " Necrozma exclaimed, " _ **Annoying...WORM!"**_

Rayquaza reared his head back and breathed out a bellowing roar, coating himself in a green light...but it wasn't enough. Rayquaza had used up the majority of his energy in the Draco Meteor attack and now he could scarcely hold his Mega Form, much less unleash a maximum power Dragon Ascent.

Rayquaza shook his head and turned to face the planet below. It doesn't matter. Who cares if it's not enough?! All that matters is that he uses every last drop of energy in his body. Even if he dies, another legend will take his place. If not by his hand, it would only be a matter of time until Arceus and the others arrived.

" _HEAR ME, NECROZMA! ON THIS DAY, YOU WILL KNOW THE FEAR AND PAIN YOU HAVE CAUSED COUNTLESS OTHERS! DO YOU REMEMBER THE ORANGE ISLANDS?! WELL I DO! I REMEMBER, THE LEGENDS YOU NEARLY KILLED REMEMBER, AND THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO PERISHED ON THOSE ISLANDS REMEMBER! I WILL LAY MY LIFE DOWN SO THAT YOUR REIGN OF TERROR ENDS AS WELL!_ _ **DRAGOOOOOON...ASCEEEEEEEENNNNNNT!**_ "

It was at that moment Rayquaza was blinded by a piercing white light that seemed to cut through Rayquaza completely. He couldn't feel anything. He had reverted to his regular form as well. The fatigue and pain from overexerting himself...the desperation and resolve he had felt seconds before...had ceased to exist. It was as if Rayquaza himself ceased to exist. Rayquaza could barely even form a proper thought amidst the surrounding light. Rayquaza considered, for a moment, that he had perished...until the light began to take form. Now surrounded in a pitch-black darkness, the light that had once surrounded Rayquaza began to shape itself into some colossal being. It's form...was incomprehensible. The only thing he could fathom was an arm and hand from the creature slowly reaching out to Rayquaza as if it was offering to pick Rayquaza off the ground. A voice suddenly roared in Rayquaza's ears.

" _ **, A. O.**_ "

Rayquaza's eyes suddenly tore open, and he found himself once again overlooking the Earth, poised to crash like an asteroid into the trapped demon down below...but the fatigue and pain he felt ceased to exist. In fact, he felt re-energized. A power he had never thought capable of being imagined coursed through his veins. The realization of Necrozma slowly getting free of his binds struck Rayquaza and he resolved to ask questions later.

A grin crept up Rayquaza's mouth and he let out a roar at the top of his lungs, transforming back into his Mega form, though the form now had an ethereal bluish-silver coat surrounding him. Without further delay, Rayquaza used his newfound power to accelerate himself straight at Necrozma along with the two orbs of energy. The descent was instantaneous. At incalculable speeds, Rayquaza barreled into Necrozma with a Dragon Ascent. The only thing that could be seen of Rayquaza was a single green streak; an afterimage that stretched from where Rayquaza was once positioned in the ozone layer...directly into Necrozma and the orbs of energy.

Faster than the eye could blink, the entire surrounding area that had once been a forest teeming with life just an hour earlier had been reduced to nothing. The surrounding trees had been completely obliterated; destroyed entirely for miles on end the moment the draconic legend impacted the invading monstrosity. Not just that, the ground itself for miles down had seemingly ceased to exist. From a bird's-eye view, what had just been a forest was now nothing more than a colossal void with no visible ground beneath.

" _ **Congratulations**_ , _**worm,**_ " A dark voice announced from within the void, " _ **You have successfully achieved nothing. Actually, you have achieved less than nothing.**_ "

A streak of light shot out from the void skyward and Rayquaza, who had now been reduced to his primary form, had landed near the edge of the crater with a thud. The black demon appeared above the fallen legend completely unharmed. However, Necrozma's usual confident, arrogant demeanor was nowhere to be found. In its place, Necrozma now wore a glare that paralyzed the once-proud Dragon of the Skies with sheer terror.

" _ **You should have stayed underneath the rock you came from, worm. If you had, you would have been able to die without knowing the agony you're about to be drowning in**_."

Without moving a muscle, Necrozma released an all-encompassing crimson blast of energy in every conceivable direction. Rayquaza snapped his eyes shut and prepared for the worst. As the blast hit him, Rayquaza was shot backwards until he was suddenly jerked backwards when Necrozma outstretched his index finger to keep the legend in place. Rayquaza couldn't even scream in agony as the blast wreaked through every inch in his body.

" _ **There will be no escape for you**_ ," Necrozma hissed with an echoing voice that somehow drowned out the ear-shattering noise of the blast, " _ **Not even from death**_. _**Not yet anyways.**_ "

Necrozma shut his eyes and a small chuckle emitted from the dark beast that slowly evolved into laughter, and then to mad cackling. His eyelids ripped open to reveal crazed, burning red eyes that glared, almost literally, holes in his prey.

" _ **Tell me, legend, do you bleed?**_ "

With that, Necrozma cut off the blast and rocketed at his quarry, madly cackling once more. He seized Rayquaza by the throat and bolted into the wasteland below. A large cloud of dust erupted from the impact of the two titans' descent and soon after, Necrozma erupted from the cloud, dragging Rayquaza through the ground at blinding speeds. The black demon, still laughing like a maniac, then charged a white orb in the hand carrying Rayquaza. Turning his arm skyward, Necrozma shot Rayquaza like a rocket into the night sky with the white orb of energy and warped above the broken legend to deliver a bone-shattering punch to Rayquaza's spine.

" _Why…?"_ Thought Rayquaza. " _Why…how am I…_ "

The punch detonated the white orb, releasing a blinding explosion. Rayquaza shot out from the resulting smoke and impacted the ground with enough force to create a crater.

" _How...am I…"_

" _ **-Still alive?**_ " Necrozma finished, glaring hatefully into Rayquaza's eyes with his own glowing red ones, " _ **It is as I told you before**_."

Necrozma grabbed Rayquaza by one of the spikes protruding from his cheekbones and hoisted him off the ground so that they saw eye-to-eye. A black and red aura shot out from Necrozma that made Rayquaza scream in agony upon contact and annihilated the ground beneath them.

" _ **THERE IS NO ESCAPE FOR YOU! NOT EVEN DEATH CAN SAVE YOU FROM MY WRATH!**_ "

 _ **SNAP!**_

Rayquaza's bloodshot eyes burst open in torment as one of the spikes on his chin was torn off like a twig. Rage finally overtook Rayquaza as he watched his green spike fall onto the shattered ground below. With a primal, mindless bellow, Rayquaza used his newfound freedom from Necrozma's grip to unleash a Hyper Beam directly into the invading monster at point blank...but it was not to be…

With a single finger, Necrozma stopped the laser completely in its tracks and then shot his hand through it to forcefully snap the emerald dragon's mouth shut.

" _ **Now, now,**_ " Chided Necrozma as if he was talking to a child, " _ **Why are you so angry?**_ _**Is it perhaps...you're feeling guilty about failing to save your dear little friend? Mewtwo, was it?**_ "

Rayquaza's anger immediately snapped to disbelief.

" _What?!"_ Rayquaza shouted, praying himself from Necrozma's grasp once more, " _No, that cannot be! You're lying! How could you have killed him while we've been fighting this whole time?!"_

Necrozma simply chuckled darkly, " _ **You misunderstand. It was not I who killed that worthless insect...but YOU!**_ "

" _ME?!" Demanded Rayquaza, "YOU MUST BE MORE INSANE THAN I THOUGHT IF YOU EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT!_ "

Necrozma pointed to the colossal void that was once Mewtwo's forest and spoke, " _ **Look there and tell me that again**_."

Rayquaza incredulously turned his gaze until his eyes widened with realization once he set his gaze on what was once Mewtwo's home.

" _N-no_ ," Stuttered Rayquaza in denial, " _That...that cannot…"_

" _ **And that's not all!**_ " Announced Necrozma, who would have had a devillish grin on his face if he had a mouth, " _ **But the plateau carrying those worthless peons was completely annihilated as well! I could hear their screams of terror being cut off by the explosion resulting from YOUR attack! How does it feel, knowing you were responsible for the demises of the very beings you were trying to protect?!**_ "

Rayquaza shuddered uncontrollably. So many emotions wracked his body, mind, and soul as he realized what he had done; what he, who had been assigned to protect the world, had done. He was supposed to _protect_ them! He had been solely chosen by Arceus himself to keep the world safe from Necrozma, yet he had ended up essentially doing Necrozma's work _for_ him! His carelessness had condemned a legend, unofficial or not, to death along with his underlings!

"I...I…"

Necrozma planted a hand on Rayquaza's shoulder, who didn't even bother to turn around at this point.

" _ **Don't worry about it. I know what you want. You want do die, right? You want to follow your victims into oblivion to atone for your travesty, right? ...No, what you truly want death for is to escape your own guilt! You want to escape being haunted by your failure because you are too much of a COWARD to confront it!**_ "

Rayquaza looked downward, and his look of shock and horror slowly changed to an emotionless, glazed gaze.

" _ **Well, do not worry, friend.**_ "

Necrozma raised glowing red hand above Rayquaza, preparing to finish off his prey.

" _ **I will forget that little incident regarding turning my own attack against me, and let you perish as you so desperately wish. I'm a nice guy like that, so be thankful that I'm so merciful**_. _**Farewell...worm**_ …"

Cackling like a madman, Necrozma shot his hand downward. The impact shook the very earth itself, bringing up a mushroom cloud of smoke. The deafening explosion brought a grin to the black demon's face. He'd always loved this finishing touch. Demoralizing his prey after beating them to the point where they wished for death, and then granting them their wish...it just never got old...but something struck Necrozma as odd. Normally when he slaughtered his prey, he could feel their bodies shatter upon the final blow, but this worm felt...oddly solid…

Necrozma's eyes widened as he was blasted backward by a colossal golden ray of shining light. Despite his attempts, Necrozma couldn't escape the attack. Enraged, the black demon summoned red energy that costed his body and let out a roar that blasted the golden attacks away.

" _ **WHAT THE HELL?!**_ "

Suddenly, an echoing voice rung out through the surrounding dust and debris.

" _ **SO...YOU MUST BE THE INFAMOUS NECROZMA WHO HAD THE GALL TO INVADE MY PLANET AND ATTACK MY CHILDREN**_."

The dust cloud was cleared by a bright golden light revealing the God of Pokemon himself: Arceus, the Alpha Pokemon...and he looked anything but pleased.

Necrozma, now genuinely annoyed, scowled at the godly figure and replied, " _ **And what if I am?**_ "

The Alpha Pokemon Arceus channeled the sparkling golden light encasing him into a ball of pulsating white light above his forehead.

" _ **THEN AS CREATOR AND GUARDIAN OF THIS WORLD, I PROMISE THAT YOU WILL FACE JUDGEMENT!**_ "

The creator of all Pokemon raised himself onto his hind legs and sent the ball soaring into the night sky with a mighty bellow. When the ball disappeared beyond view, it violently exploded and sent a a nigh-uncountable number of golden arrows unto the ground beneath.

Necrozma stared up at the display of power in an unimpressed manner and raised a finger to dispel the divine onslaught when he suddenly felt a presence behind him. The interstellar warlord snapped himself around with a wound-up punch ready to annihilate this newcomer, but the Alpha Pokemon was faster.

From below, Arceus unleashed a golden-white beam that easily dwarfed the size of the average mountain. Necrozma hardly had the time to blink before he was sent hurtling into the storm of golden arrows raining down. Arceus's eyes glowed white, making the arrows that didn't hit Necrozma swerve back upward into the Ultra Beasts' leader.

" _ **DO YOU FEEL THAT, NECROZMA?!**_ " Bellowed an enraged Arceus, " _ **DO YOU FEEL THAT HELPLESSNESS AND AGONY?! BECAUSE I CAN ASSURE YOU, THAT IS NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT YOU HAVE INFLICTED ONTO MY CHILDREN, AND I INTEND TO MAKE YOU REPAY THAT DEBT IN FULL!**_ "

A crimson red shockwave from within the storm of holy arrows eradicated the Alpha Pokémon's Judgement and colored the night sky an ominous red. Glaring down murderously at Arceus from above with a blood red aura coating his jet black body stood Necrozma, completely unharmed.

" _ **If that is all that they felt, perhaps I am losing my touch**_."

Arceus glowered at the demon staring down at him, " _ **WHAT KIND OF MONSTER ARE YOU?**_ "

"... _ **The kind hell itself will not open its gates to.**_ "

Necrozma aimed his hand downward and prepared to fire a laser down at the Alpha Pokémon's head, but stopped when he felt multiple new powerful presences in the vicinity.

" _ **...It seems this day is ever-filled with surprise. New challengers have joined the fray.**_ "

Arceus sensed the newcomers too and, contrary to his position, cursed and turned to address these newcomers.

" _ **...PALKIA, DIALGA, YVELTAL, KYOGRE, GROUDON, SOLGALEO, LUNALA...WHY IN MY NAME HAVE YOU COME HERE?!**_ "

Palkia and Dialga bowed their heads unanimously and the former spoke up first, " _WE HAD SENSED THAT YOU HAD BEGUN TO BATTLE SOMETHING AND GUESSED THAT YOU HAD FINALLY FOUND NECROZMA. IT SEEMS OUR FEARS WERE NOT WITHOUT MERIT._ "

Dialga spoke up, " _WE APOLOGIZE, FATHER, BUT WE WISH TO TAKE PART IN THIS BATTLE AS WELL! WE CANNOT SIT IDLY BY IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS!_ "

Arceus begrudgingly accepted their answer for the meantime and turned in expectation to Yveltal, Kyogre and Groudon.

Yveltal bowed his head and answered, " **I heard the state Mewtwo was in from my counterpart in the Hall of Origins. Sensing your presence in battle, father, I put two and two together and assumed you were finally about to put an end to Necrozma. So, I came to watch.** "

Arceus stared at the Pokemon of Destruction with a look of knowing doubt, eliciting Yveltal to pause and then sigh before continuing.

" **Very well. I was not comfortable saying this in front of the others,** " He motioned to the other Legendary Pokemon who had come to Arceus's aid with a wing, " **But…when I sensed Necrozma, I sensed something wrong...it felt as if he wasn't even alive**."

" _ **Is that right?**_ "

Necrozma appeared behind Yveltal and rammed the edge of the crystal protruding from his arm into his back, then blasted it away. The Wing of Destruction known as Yveltal was sent hurtling forward by a red sphere being plunged into his back and crashed violently into the face of a mountain. The surrounding legends' faces, including Arceus himself, contorted into horror as they watched their family member sail off into the distance before they could even blink.

Necrozma scoffed, " _ **You should know that it is impolite to spread rumors about something you know nothing about, scum**_."

Arceus's stared in shock at Yveltal, or what was left of him, for a moment before slowly turning back to Necrozma with a savage, enraged expression.

" _ **ENOUGH!**_ " Roared the creator Pokemon with such malice that his surrounding children had become pale with terror, " _ **YOU HAVE DESECRATED MY HOME AND MY CHILDREN ENOUGH! YOUR BATTLE IS WITH ME AND ME ALONE!**_ "

In response, Necrozma shot forward at Arceus and, in an instant, the Alpha Pokemon met the ground below in a heap of dust. When Arceus charged out from the dust to resume battle with the invader, he was met with the sight of a crimson ball of energy that obscured the sky itself with its sheer size from his point of view.

" _ **By the way,**_ " Spoke the Leader of the Ultra Beasts, " _ **I overheard that little bird of yours say something interesting. Well, before I blasted it into a mountain, but that's neither here nor there**_."

When no one replied, Necrozma continued, " _ **He mentioned a "Hall of Origins", right? I also heard that peon mention someone else there.**_ "

Necrozma shot an eye-grin at his quarry beneath him, " _ **And that means there are more of your so-called legends there too...correct?**_ "

Arceus neglected to reply.

" _ **In that case, I will give you, say, a week to mobilize every last one of your pathetic excuses for legends to my location...and just to warn you...when you next see me…**_ "

Necrozma disappeared from sight, but Arceus and the surrounding legends all heard a haunting voice from an invisible source that chilled them to the bone.

" _ **...I will not be alone…**_ "

The colossal red ball suddenly rocketed into the sky and exploded deafeningly, forcing everyone in the vicinity to avert their eyes for fear of being blinded.

When Arceus was next able to open his eyes, his first vision was that of his children, paralyzed with fear, and he himself felt a panic that he had not felt since the incident with the Jewel of Life and that traitorous, red-haired human who tried to bury him in that silver liquid.

" _ **...MY CHILDREN…**_ " Spoke the Alpha Pokemon finally, " _ **PALKIA, DIALGA, YOU ARE TO ROUND UP THE LEGENDS FOR YET ANOTHER MEETING IN THE HALL OF ORIGINS.**_ "

The two dazed deities shook off their daze and hastily retreated through portals to carry out their orders, eliciting Arceus to turn to Kyogre and Groudon next with a look of disapproval.

" _ **I CAN GUESS WHY YOU TWO ARE HERE. I HAVE TOLD YOU TIME AND TIME AGAIN NOT TO FIGHT AMONGST EACH OTHER AND THE MINUTE RAYQUAZA IS RENDERED INERT, YOU TWO ARRIVE JUST TO DISOBEY MY DIRECT ORDERS.**_ "

The masters of Land and Sea shrunk at their father's chastisement, and neither dared speak up.

Arceus sighed and relaxed his gaze somewhat, " _ **YOU TWO ARE TO SEARCH FOR YVELTAL AND BRING HIM TO THE HALL OF ORIGINS. YOU ARE DISMISSED FOR NOW, BUT YOU WILL RECEIVE PUNISHMENT AFTER NECROZMA HAS BEEN DEALT WITH.**_ "

The two legends bowed and hastily made their way towards the crash site of Yveltal.

Next, Arceus stared pitifully down at Rayquaza, who still looked solemnly down at the ground beneath him in a daze of his own guilt.

As Arceus landed next to the broken legend, Rayquaza spoke first with a shaken voice.

" _...Why…?_ " The broken legend started shakily, " _Why did you come to my rescue? I failed you TWICE, father! I failed to stop Necrozma from entering our planet;I didn't even sense that he had gone past me!_ "

Arceus sighed a began softly, " _ **YOU HAVE FAILED NO ONE, MY SON-**_ "

" _I do not deserve your pity nor mercy,_ " Spat Rayquaza, disgusted with himself, " _In my second failure, I couldn't protect Mewtwo and his underlings...even worse, I, KILLED THEM MYSELF!_ "

Rayquaza gritted his teeth and slammed his claws into the ground, " _MY CARELESSNESS LED TO THE DEATHS OF THOSE I WAS MEANT TO PROTECT!_ "

Arceus could watch this painful display no longer, " _ **RAYQUAZA, I HAVEN'T THE SLIGHTEST CLUE WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT. IT WAS MEWTWO HIMSELF THAT INFORMED ME OF YOUR DUEL WITH NECROZMA**_."

Rayquaza snapped his head around in disbelief, " _WHAT?! You mean, he isn't dead_?!"

" _Your doubts hurt me, Rayquaza_."

Next to Arceus, Mewtwo appeared in a flash of pink looking no worse for wear.

" _I'm not so weak as to be taken down in one strike, you know."_

Rayquaza's mouth stood agape. A swirl of emotions wracked Rayquaza's mind all at once, and the Dragon of the Skies was left in a stunned trance.

" _Wha...how…_ "

Mewtwo chuckled with a smile and answered the Sky Dragon's thoughts, " _It's simple, really. I faked it. The moment I sensed Necrozma, I immediately warped my underlings away from harm, but I left energy signatures there that mimicked that of a weak life force with my Psychic powers. I knew I stood no chance at beating Necrozma, so I pretended that my underlings were in harm's way, faked defeat and waited for a moment to warp to the Hall of Origins to ask if Mew could help me fend off Necrozma. Instead of Mew, however, I found Arceus, and you know the rest."_

Rayquaza could only stare with an agaped mouth in a mixture of shock and relief. He eventually let out a fatigued sigh and replied simply with, "... _I...need a moment_ ," Which earned laughter from the two other legends. Arceus then warped the two legends to the Hall of Origins to await further instructions.

Finally, Arceus turned his gaze towards Solgaleo and Lunala, who looked even more pale than the other legends.

" _ **NOW WHAT PUZZLES ME,**_ " Started Arceus, " _ **IS AS TO WHY THE TWO OF YOU ARE HERE. YOU TWO HAVE BEEN COMPLETELY SILENT DURING OUR RECENT MEETINGS IN THE HALL, SO WHY DID YOU COME HERE NOW?**_ "

Lunala found her voice first. " _We...believe that we may have some sort of connection with Necrozma...or used to, at least._ "

* * *

Riley cleared his throat to disperse the awkward atmosphere Ash's response had created. "While I would love to let you rest, we have to move now. Every second we are away from the Tree of Beginning, The longer we this danger runs rampant." Riley grabbed Ash and pulled him towards the road.

"Wait a minute!" Ash exclaimed as he attempted to pry his wrist from Riley's iron grip. Riley let go and Ash stumbled backwards, landing heavily on his back. "I have a friend travelling with me and I just can't abandon her, and Pikachu is still at the camp." He explained while he picked himself back up. Riley scratched his head in thought. "I didn't sense any other auras nearby so I had assumed you were travelling alone, though I probably should have thought something was up with Pikachu missing. I have never seen you two apart."

Ash shrugged his shoulders while grinning. He started making his way back towards the camp. "What can I say? We just have a really strong energy with each other. Speaking of strong energy, while I was being chased and when I was being held hostage by that guy, a strange energy sort of surged into me. It gave me like a boost and suddenly I was able to do things I thought I couldn't, like knowing when to dodge and how to fight back. Do you know what that was?" Ash questioned.

Riley closed his eyes in deep thought. "My best guess would be it was your Aura starting to awaken in response to the danger you were in. Has anything similar ever happened before?"Ash furrowed his brow, staring off into the distance to sort through the last five years. After an awkwardly long time in thought, Ash finally snaps his fingers in realization.

"Yeah! There was this one time in Cameron Palace where this one lucario who was sealed in this scepter thought I was his long dead master Sir Aaron because our aura's were so similar. Wait, you said Tree of Beginning right? I've been there! We had to save Mew, then I died, then Mew revived us, the-"

"Hold on a second, I can only take a few big revelations at a time. Give me a moment to get the story straight." Interrupted Riley. Ash nodded and gave Riley some time to get his thoughts together. "So," Riley began, "I am aware Cameron Palace has the tradition of honoring the Tree Aura Guardian Sir Aaron by holding a tournament and crowning the winner as Hero of the Year, never liked that tradition but I respect it, which I'm assuming you won." Ash nodded prompting Riley to continue. "Then you held Sir Aaron's scepter, which was holding Sir Aaron's Lucario, who was released because you and Sir Aaron had similar Aura's, we have to talk about that later, at this point Mew got in trouble?" Ash nodded yet again.

"Yeah, these people were chasing Mew but gave up when they realized that it would mean the end of the land. We went to the tree because Mew brought Pikachu there and the tree thought we were enemies so it attacked us and we died. Mew managed to convince the tree we were not enemies and revive us but it sent the tree into shock, which made Mew ill as well. Lucario and I, using Sir Aaron's gloves, gave our Aura to Mew like Sir Aaron once did, but Lucario pushed me out of the way at the last second and sacrificed himself." Ash muttered sadly.

"Well, if your story is right then you have an even stronger connection to Aura than I had originally thought." Voiced Riley. "This may seem as a surprise, but I have a reason to believe you are actually a descendent of Sir Aaron. Or at least a member of his family tree. A person's aura is dictated by a number of factors, the two prominent being nature and nurture. One's emotions heavily affect their aura, the more negative the darker it is and the more positive the brighter it is. Family also has to do with the nature of your aura. The fact that not only did Sir Aaron's staff react to you, but also his lucario thought you were him gives me strong evidence that you are his descendant. You are born to be an Aura Guardian."

"But my aura hasn't really shown up until recently, why now?" Questioned Ash.

"My theory is because of a combination of two things, one is you truly feared for your life, another is because you spent so much of your aura reviving Mew that it had to seal itself away to mend. It's amazing that it came back at all from what your story tells me."

Ash and Riley finally arrive at the camp well into the night, only a few hours until dawn. Ash went to check on Serena in her tent, finding her still asleep he checks on Pikachu in his tent. Also finding Pikachu asleep he approaches Riley and Lucario, motioning them to keep it down. "I know we are on a bit of a tight schedule, but do you mind if we at least sleep for the rest of the night? We can move at dawn and I'm super tired from tonight's events." Pleaded Ash.

Riley sighed and relented. "Fine, but right at dawn we move." Lucario motioned to object but a look from Riley and a 'Just let him have this, he's been through a lot lately.' kept him quiet. Riley summoned a cyan blue barrier around the campsite to appease Lucario's nerves and rested himself against a tree.

Ash sleeps soundly, dreaming of floating in the stars in absolute tranquility. _**Boom!**_ An explosion rips through his dream and startles him awake. "What was- _ahhhhh!_ " Pikachu, who was also awakened by the explosion, shocks ash in panic. A shriek can be heard heard from the tent over.

"Help! Help! Ash we're under attack!" Screamed Serena in fear. Meanwhile outside, Riley is on the ground laughing while Lucario watches his partner in disappointment

' _That was very childish for you to do, amusing, but childish._ ' Lucario scolded. Riley finally got himself under control enough to coherently respond to Lucario.

'But it was effective in waking them up. Besides, I don't get chances like these often. I have to use them when they show up.' Argued Riley, still stifling some giggles. He erupted in laughter again when he saw the state Serena and ash were as they scrambled out of their tents. Until he is engulfed by a flamethrower unleashed by Braixen, who mistook him for an enemy.

"Stop! Braixen stop!" Exclaimed Ash. Braixen did as told, albeit reluctantly, and halted the torrent of flames. When the smoke cleared it showed Riley a bit singed but not nearly as burned as expected.

'You completely deserved that.' Remarked Lucario. Riley only patted some ash off his shoulder in response.

"Was it really necessary up like that, Riley?" Ash asked pointedly.

"Yes." Riley stated seriously.

"Ash who is this?" Serena asked nervously, positioning Ash between her and Riley.

"This is Riley, he's an Aura Guardian. And over there is his partner, Lucario. Riley this is my girlfriend Serena." Serena gasped and quickly apologized.

"I'm so sorry Braixen attacked you like that! She's usually not like that, Braixen say sorry." Despite her master's urging she just huffed and turned her head the other way. Riley laughed good naturedly and patted Serena on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, if anything I probably deserved that. Girlfriend eh? You snagged a good one Ash!" Riley laughed as Serena and Ash turned red in embarrassment.

"Anyway, helped me out last night when I was attacked-"

"You were attacked! Are you ok? Nothing hurts, right? Do you know who did it?" Serena fussed over Ash, much to Lucario's and Riley's amusement.

"Serena calm down! Riley and Lucario rescued me. Nothing hurts, I'm perfectly fine. Though I don't know who did this but it wasn't Team Rocket, nor any other organization that I know of." Ash proceeded to recap last night to Serena, who wore varying degrees of horror, concern and relief throughout the story. "...and after I finally managed to break free in that aura state, Riley and Lucario cleaned up the rest of them." Serena was about to speak but was interrupted by Riley.

"While I'm usually all for these touching moments, we really need to get moving. You guys can talk about this on the road." Ash nods and hastily moves to pack the site up.

"Where are going?" Serena inquires.

"Our next stop will be Celadon, but our final one is the Tree of Beginning." Answered Riley.

"Isn't that where Mew is rumoured to live?"

"Not rumoured, where Mew does live. Just ask Ash, he's met Mew before."

"What?!" After Serena finally calmed down and got to packing they were soon on the path to Celadon.

It was all of two minutes before Serena gave Ash a vicious tongue lashing for getting himself in the situation. "...why would you stray so far from the camp anyway?! I could have helped you fend them off! You didn't even take Pikachu with you!"

"I doubt it would have mattered much anyway." Riley stepped in, giving Ash a break. "They would have likely taken you down and held you as a hostage for Ash or just kill you regardless. And they were heavily armed, I doubt that having your pokemon there would have made much of a difference. It was actually lucky for everyone that Ash had decided to walk so far from camp without anyone."

Serena just walks quietly with her head down in thought. "Hey, Serena." Serena snaps out of her thoughts and looks towards Ash who had an apologetic look. "I'm sorry for worrying you." Serena sighs and hugged Ash while smiling.

"No, I'm sorry I snapped at you like that. It was just shocking to hear you were almost kidnapped by some unknown group, I'm just glad you're safe."

"By the way Ash, what did Riley mean when he said you met Mew before? And what is this aura you guys mentioned?" Ash recapped his adventure in Cameron Palace, answering any questions Serena had about the adventure. "That explains a lot, have you met any other legendaries? And you still haven't explained what exactly aura is."

"I will in a second, and I've met almost all of them." At this Serena and Riley tripped in shock.

"Almost all of them!?" Just who have you met exactly?!" Exclaimed Riley while Lucario just stared in shock.

"Well, the first one I saw was Ho-Oh at the beginning of my adventure, but I didn't know it at the time. Then there was Mewtwo and Mew, I was turned to stone then revived again in that, then was Lugia and the three weather birds of Kanto, I was some chosen one or something. Then there was Entei…." As the list kept growing Riley's and Serena's minds slowly ground to a halt, eventually they just stopped walking. "...then there was that Kyurem, hey what's up? Why'd you guys stop?"

"Ash, I'm pretty sure they were onto something when they said you were the chosen one." Riley deadpanned.

"How about we move onto aura?" Suggested Serena.

"Alright, aura is like this super cool energy inside you and it goes 'woosh!' and it can power you up and make you do things like dodge attacks you don't see coming and you can shoot aura spheres that go 'boom!' like this morning." Ash explained in a very Ash way.

"Not really, though aura is super cool." Riley corrected. "Aura is the energy that flows through all living things, even if you can't feel it it's there. Its uses range from healing, to summoning simple constructs, to attacks that deal incredible damage. The most common of these examples is the aura sphere." Riley then summoned one as demonstration. "Ash also was correct when he stated they allow you to dodge incoming attacks out of your range of sight." Again to demonstrate he sent the aura sphere to Lucario who deftly dodged the attack and sent a glare behind his back. "And while aura is everywhere, very few actually utilize it. It's to the point that I'm one of the last Aura Guardians left. We are even rarer than those who can speak to pokemon, or those who have psychic abilities. Not for a lack of those who can use it, few are willing to join us and undergo the rigorous training required."

"You said it exists in all living things, does that mean I could use it?" Asked Serena hopefully.

' _Unlikely. While it is true all living things have aura, very few can actually utilize it beyond basic attacks. The fact that you can't hear me at all is proof that you have no capability to learn the ways of an aura guardian._ ' Lucario stated gruffly.

"What did he say?" Serena asked. Riley laughed nervously and answered for his friend.

"He said anyone can learn how to handle aura with enough hard work and practice." This earned a grumble from the Pokémon .

"There!" exclaimed Ash. "I can see Celadon over there! Race you to the gates buddy!" He challenges Pikachu. Pikachu accepts his challenge with a "Pika!" and they take off leaving Riley and Serena to catch up.

"Wha-?! Aaaash!" Whined Serena before sprinting to catch up. Lucario gave Riley a deadpan look of 'This is what you want to deal with?' to which Riley gave his partner a cheeky grin and raced after the two young trainers. Lucario pinched his temple and let out a sigh before bolting off after his new traveling companions.

"Piiii!" Cheered Pikachu, raising his arm in triumph. Ash and Serena let out simultaneous exasperated gasps before falling flat on their faces at Pikachu's feet.

"No fair!" Cried Ash as he jumped back to his feet, "Using Agility is cheating!"

"And that," Started Riley as he helped Serena to her feet, "Is why you shouldn't instigate competitions you can't win."

Ash responded with a childish grumble and held out his arm for his partner to hop onto.

"Alright, fine." Ash relented, "You win, Pikachu. Now let's head to that Gym."

"Pi-Pika!"

Serena piped up, "Oh, I've read about this Gym! The Celedon Gym is run by the Grass Maiden Erika!"

"You're well informed," Said Riley, "Yes, Celedon City is home to the Grass Type Gym Leader Erika, though she doesn't like to battle often."

Ash let out a sigh, "Tell me about it. Just remembering what I had to do to battle her before makes me want to-"

Ash's eyes widened when he realized what he was about to admit and quickly cut himself off.

"Huh?" Asked Serena, "What do you mean? What did you have to-"

"I-It's not important!" Ash stuttered with a forced chuckle, earning a sly chuckle out of Pikachu. Ash glared sideways at him.

Riley and Lucario chuckled, sensing the embarrassment from Ash with their Aura.

"But-!" Stammered Serena, only for Ash to quickly turn around and begin marching into Celedon.

"Haha well time is money right? Best to get there before it gets dark so let's go!"

"It's 8 in the morning, what are you talking about?!" Cried an exasperated Serena.

' _Are you convinced yet?_ ' Lucario asked.

"Oh lighten up," Riley replied with a chuckle, "It'll be fun!"

'Will it be fun when the world burns?' Muttered Lucario under his breath.

Minutes later, Ash had regained his sanity after Serena had given up on the subject and the four companions plus Pikachu were making their way through the city. Serena and Ash were busily chatting about the city and the upcoming Gym, Riley was chuckling at the two young trainers' antics and Lucario had his eyes closed as he walked by his partner when he felt a sudden jolt to his left.

' _Riley,_ ' Lucario whispered through his auric link, ' _You feel that too right?_ '

Riley stopped in his tracks to look at his partner, and then realized what Lucario was talking about. To their left was the Celedon Game Corner...but as they turned their gaze beneath it...the two Aura Guardians felt a terrible chill crawl down their spines.

"Hey!" Ash called back to them, "What's the holdup? You interested in the Game Corner or something?"

"I didn't figure you two for the gambling type," Serena added.

Riley didn't take his gaze away from the miniature casino.

"Ash, Serena," He called to them.

Seeing the grimace plastered on Riley's face, Ash knew something was unusual and the two trainers raced back to their newest companions.

"Uh, Yeah? What's up?"

"Do you feel that, Ash?" Riley asked simply, still not taking his gaze from beneath the Game Corner.

Ash quizzically raised an eyebrow, "Feel what? Riley are you-"

"Take a look at the ground beneath that building," Riley ordered, "Can you feel that?"

Ash gave the Aura Guardian an odd look, but obliged and turned to look at the Game Corner.

"Lower."

Ash did as he was told and turned his sights downward towards the pavement beneath the Game Corner. He felt nothing. Nothing out of the usual, anyways.

"Riley, I don't-"

Ash's words were cut off suddenly. His vision turned a cyan-blue tint and his senses felt heightened...then it hit him...it was only for a split second, but that short instance was more than enough for him to realize what the two Aura Guardians felt. From beneath the Game Corner, Ash felt...something terrible. Lives...the lives of Pokemon being suddenly cut off...only to resurface into some amalgamation of countless other Pokemon. Ash took a step back and gasped for air, heaving over onto his knees in the process.

"Ash?!" Cried Serena with worry, crouching down to see if he was okay.

"Pika-Pi!"

"So you did feel it?" Riley asked, clenching his fists with rage.

"Feel what?!" Serena demanded, "What are you talking about?!"

Riley and Lucario finally tore their gaze from the horror that had paralyzed them momentarily, "Well, Ash?"

Ash gasped in air for a moment longer, trying to process what had just transpired but at the same time, being absolutely terrified to do so. Finally, the young trainer managed to get back up onto his feet and turned his gaze downcast.

"...Yeah," Ash responded, "I only felt it for a second...but…"

"What are you guys talking about?!" Repeated Serena, "Does this have something to do with aura? What happened?!"

Lucario nodded and Riley voiced the Pokémon's thoughts for him, "Something like that, yeah. What we felt happening there in that basement...was nothing short of a crime against nature…"

Serena's eyes widened, "What?! What do you mean?!"

Ash spoke up next, raising his head, "I only felt it for a moment, but...it was horrible…"

Ash clenched his fist, "I could feel...Pokemon...screaming in fear...fear for their lives...and suddenly they disappeared...cut off...only to reappear fused together with countless other Pokemon…"

"So Pokémon are being _killed_ down there?! But it's a casino, why would they…?"

Riley spoke up, "I once heard rumors of the Game Corner's basements being a secret base for Team Rocket. Perhaps those rumors are not without merit."

"Well, we have to save them!" Serena exclaimed, earning a nod from Riley.

"No doubt about that, but we can't exactly barge into there and demand entry to their basement."

"But," Ash said, "The longer we wait, the more Pokemon might…"

Lucario spoke up and Riley translated the Pokémon's speech for the rest of the group, "Lucario and I agree, but if we just burst into there, we won't get far at all. Let's come back here later tonight when everything's closed down. Then we sneak in and rescue them."

Ash frowned, "I don't like waiting around while Pokemon are being tortured like that, but...I see your point…"

Riley sighed, "Think of it as an opportunity to get that Gym Badge here in the meantime."

Serena perked up a bit, "Yeah, I guess there's that."

Ash stared blankly forward. Normally, the thought of a Gym Battle would get him pumped. There normally wasn't a force on the Earth that could keep him from a Pokemon Gym...but this wasn't "normally". The young boy turned to glance once more at the miniature casino, but quickly averted his gaze for fear of feeling _that_ again. He finally let out a deep sigh and turned to face his companions.

"Yeah, alright...we might as well get that Gym while we're waiting."

Serena gave Ash a concerned look. If not even the thought of a Gym Battle could cheer him up, then whatever was down in those basements...she shuddered at the thought of it.

As the quadruo continued on their way to the Celedon Gym, Serena attempted to ease the awkward tension and silence by striking up another conversation.

"Say, Ash?"

"Huh? Yeah, what's up, Serena?"

Serena twiddled her thumbs, "Say, since this is Grass-Type, wouldn't it be good to call back Talonflame from Professor Sycamore?"

This elicited a chuckle out of Ash, "Heh, that'd make the second time this Gym burned down."

Serena nearly tripped over at hearing that, "Burned down?! Ash, did you-?"

"What, no!" Protested Ash, "Why would I..?!"

Riley chuckled almost dryly as he walked beside Lucario from behind Ash and Serena.

"Well, it didn't take long for those two to go back to normal, eh?"

Riley only received a low growl as a response.

"Is that a Vileplume?" Serena asked, pointing to a large brown dome shaped building with red solar panels above the roof in a petal like fashion.

"Yeah, they have a whole side business where they make perfumes out of Vileplume and other plant Pokémon's sap." Ash informed as he headed through the main doors.

Ash stared at her for a few seconds before muttering "She looks exactly the same." in disbelief.

"Ash what are you standing around for? Is something the matter?" Riley asked in concern. Ash just waved him off.

"Don't worry about it, just remembered something from the last time I was here." He approached the receptionist and waved to get her attention.

"Ah, sorry I'm going to have to let you go for a moment. I'll call back and we can discuss the details later, bye!~" She hung up the phone and turned to Ash with a smile, only to adopt a contemplative look as she got a good look at Ash.

"I'm sorry, but have you been here before? You look really familiar." Ash started sweating, hoping that the story of his previous visit would not be recalled in the presence of others. Riley and Lucario took notice of his discomfort and gazed at him curiously.

"Me? No, you must be thinking of someone similar. I get that a lot." Ash said unconvincingly. Thankfully she bought it.

"Well if you say so, so how can I help you today?"

"Serena," Ash gestured to the girl in mention, "and I are here to challenge the gym. We would like to do a double battle together if possible."

"Alright then, before that would you like to buy some perfume? A new batch came just out of the works this morning, it's one of our top sellers too!" Riley and Serena glanced at Ash, expecting him to react in some negative manner.

"Sure, I'll take two. How much will that be." Everyone except Ash and the receptionist are floored with surprise. After Ash paid for the perfume the receptionist went out back to talk with the gym leader to discuss the possibility of a double battle.

"Ash, why did you say yes? I thought you hated perfume." Serena asked, bewildered. Ash just shyly scratched the back of his head in embarrassment as he handed the perfume to Serena.

"The last time I refused to buy perfume here…. well it didn't end well. And frankly. I'd prefer if I didn't have to remember that." Pikachu started laughing as he remembered the even and Ash glared at him. Lucario's voice interrupted his thoughts and turned to face him.

' _What do you mean it didn't end well?'_ Lucario asked. Ash turned away and Serena gave Ash a confused look. Thankfully he was saved when the receptionist returned.

"Erika has a guest over at the moment, but she is willing to receive and have a double battle with you now. She is currently down the hall in the greenhouse."

The group made their way down the hall and entered through the glass double doors of the green house. They could make out a voice from the other side of the path.

"And if you use solar beam just the right way you can make these amazing dried berries, though their name does escape me. But I remember it was…. I'm sorry we'll have to put our conversation on hold for now, the challengers are here. Though I hope we may continue afterwards." The group finally walks into the clearing with the battlefield in the middle. Off to the side by a few benches was Erika and….

Ash greets Cilan from across the room, they catch up, more introductions between Ash's group and Cilan/Erika

"Cilan?!"

"Pika?!"

"Ash?!" They paused in confusion before Ash breaks the stalemate and jogs over to give Cilan a hug.

"Last I heard you headed to Kalos for a fishing tournament, and that was a while ago!" Ash asked enthusiastically. Cilan grinned and returned the hug before breaking apart.

"Well, originally I was going to go to the Alola region because I heard that they had a whole village dedicated to fishing. But then I remembered you mentioned that you had a friend from Kanto named Misty that was passionate about fishing, so I came to visit to connect with a friend of a friend. She later asked me to run an errand for her to Erika, and we got along well as Grass type gym leaders and cooking enthusiasts."

"Really? That's great! It's nice to finally see you!"

"Ash, you mind introducing us to your friend here?" Riley cut in. Ash laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Cilan, this is Riley and Lucario. I met them on Iron Island in the Sinnoh region. And this is Serena, she's one of the people who travelled with me in the Kalos region."

"It's nice to meet you, Cilan." Serena and Riley greet.

"And I, you." Cilan returned. Pikachu hopped off Ash's shoulder and nuzzled Cilan. Cilan smiled and picked him up and rubbed his cheeks.

"It's nice to see you too, Pikachu."

"You!" Erika suddenly announced, pointing accusedly at Ash.

"Me?!" Ash exclaimed in fear.

"You're the kid who insulted my perfume and then tried to sneak into my class as a girl in order to challenge me to a battle!"

"Well yeah," Defended Ash, "But more importantly, I'm also the one who rescued your Pokémon from a fire!"

"Wait, I'm sorry. I don't think I heard that sentence correctly. Did you say Ash crossdressed to challenge you to gym battle?" Riley asked in disbelief.

"Wait, you mean that wasn't the first time you crossdressed?!" Serena exclaimed in shock.

"I remember him crossdressing this one time when he was with me and Iris too!" Cilan yelled in realization.

"Just how many times have you cross dressed exactly?!" Riley asked surprised.

"..." Ash whispered.

"I'm sorry we can't hear you, please speak up Ash." Cilan encouraged.

"...five…" Ash mumbled again. Now beet red with embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Ash, just a bit louder." Commented Serena. The others leaned in to hear.

"I said five!" Ash yelled in frustration. "And don't act like you've never done it, Cilan! You did it with me, remember?!"

"Yes, but I only did it once. With you, I think it's more of a trend." Cilan defended.

"Aaagghh, enough already! We came for a battle didn't we?! Let's get on with it!"

"As much as I would like to continue with this conversation, I agree with Ash." Erika stated. "Cilan, if you would be so kind as to join me we can get this battle underway." Erika and Cilan moved to their side while Ash and Serena stood on the other. A tense air formed as the referee moved to the side of the field.

"Well, Ash?" Cilan said from across the field and bowing mockingly, "Since we're on the topic of your crossdressing habits, I will be a gentleman for such a charming lady as yourself and allow you the first move."

Ash scowled, "Oh, ha-ha! Laugh it up while ya can, Cilan, but we'll see who's laughing when I walk out of here with _two_ Gym Battle wins against you! Go, Goo-"

Without warning, one of Ash's Pokeballs erupted outward in a flash of bluish-white to reveal Hawlucha who flexed menacingly at Cilan and then turned his head backwards at Ash to flash him a thumbs up.

Ash looked dumbfounded for a moment before letting out a chuckle. Quickly admitting defeat to his eager Pokemon, Ash put Goodra's Pokeball back on his belt and flashed a thumbs up back at Hawlucha.

"Heh, alright then! Let's go, Hawlucha!"

In return, the macho bird raised his arms and flexed once more. The bird's arms radiated steam as he flexed them, and they suddenly expanded outward as large muscles swelled outward, blowing hot wind out onto the field.

" _HAAAAWWWWWWW!_ "

Cilan and Erika were forced to cover their eyes as the steaming wind from Hawlucha's flex shot outward at them.

"What incredible power!" Cilan complimented, "Like the steaming hot air radiating from a perfect meal, I can see your Hawlucha's power is superbly prepared!"

Cilan reached into his pocket and pulled out a Pokeball of his own, "However, I too have been preparing my Pokemon for battle just as a gourmet chef prepares a five-star dish for an esteemed recipient! Go, Simisage!"

Cilan tossed out the Pokeball onto the field, releasing a bipedal, decently-tall, green-furred monkey with some kind of mohawk made from plants on its head.

"Saaaaage!" Roared the green primate.

Ash grinned excitedly, "Simisage, huh? So you evolved your Pansage?"

Cilan snapped his fingers and pointed at Ash with a gallant pose, "Indeed! Just as I said, I prepare my battles like I prepare my meals!"

Serena pulled her own Pokeball out of her purse, "My turn then, I guess. Well, I'm up against Grass Types, so there's no question here! Braixen, I choose you!"

Serena sent her Pokeball twirling into the arena, releasing the red and yellow fox. She turned her gaze around to her trainer and the two grinned at one another before turning their gazes back unto Erika and taking a battle stance.

Erika let out a small sigh, "Well, between a Flying type and a Fire type, I'm afraid you leave me little options. Then, I'll just have to use tactics over Type Advantage! I choose you, Tangrowth!"

Last but not least, a gargantuan mass of tentacles appeared from Erika's Pokeball and immediately swarmed the battlefield.

"Woah!" Ash cried, "That's supposed to be a Tangrowth?!"

Erika put a hand over her mouth and laughed, "He sure is! Normally, Tangrowth are unable to use their full body's worth of tentacles to their disposal, but due to a special diet I made for my Tangrowth, he not only was able to relax and loosen every tentacle on his body, but he also grew to an abnormally large size."

"That is quite impressive," Riley chimed in from the sidelines, "I can't say I've ever seen a Tangrowth ever reach full ambidextricity before. You must take good care of your Pokemon."

"Lu" Lucario said in agreement with a nod.

"Thank you, I try."

"Good Arceus, it's like a living jungle!" Ash cried in dismay.

"Well technically, jungles ARE living," Serena said with a bead of sweat dripping down her head as she nervously looked at the mass of tentacles before her, "But I see your point."

"Naturally," Erika beamed, "As Kanto's Grass-Type Gym Leader, I have earned the title of the Nature Maiden, and so it is only fitting that I use the forces of nature to my disposal."

The referee raised his arm and dropped it so that it pointed to the battlefield, "Let the battle begin!"

Suddenly, the mass of tentacles descended onto the battlefield, forcing the two young trainers to act.

"Dodge!" They frantically yelled in unison.

Hawlucha managed to dodge without much effort, letting the tentacles crash into the ground where he once stood. Braixen however, due to the gap in skill both she and Serena had in comparison to Ash and his team, barely managed to avoid being slammed into the ground by the tentacles that soared her way.

"Don't let them get near you!" Serena ordered, "If those tentacles come near, light them up with Flamethrower!"

Braixen nodded and let loose a surge of flames from her mouth to ward off an oncoming tentacle as it attempted to crash into her.

"Hawlucha!" Ordered Ash, "Try to avoid the tentacles and look for the body itself! If Tangrowth itself goes down, then we won't have to deal with the tentacles anymore!"

"So you think it'll be that easy, huh?" Cilan jeered, "Well I beg to differ! Simisage, use Bullet Seed!"

From somewhere amidst the swirling mass of tentacles, hundreds of large seeds shot out at Hawlucha, forcing him to tuck his head beneath his cape of feathers.

Erika chortled, "You really shouldn't be standing still like that. Tangrowth, Energy Ball!"

A multitude of the tentacles pointed themselves at the defending Hawlucha and charged swirling balls of green energy into a sparking green shape.

"Hawlucha, dodge it quick!"

Hawlucha responded and swiftly jumped sideways, narrowly avoiding the dozen balls of green energy that impacted where he once stood. An explosion soon followed that coated the area in smoke and dust.

"Gah!" Cried Serena as she shielded her eyes from the dust cloud, "Braixen, you okay?!"

"Brai!" Responded Braixen from somewhere within the dust cloud.

"Alright, then use Flamethrower to get rid of that smoke!"

Cilan chuckled, "Not gonna happen! Simisage, use Focus Blast!"

As Braixen deeply inhaled to unleash a Flamethrower, the fox Pokémon's eyes widened as she saw a yellow ball of light getting larger from within the smoke and quickly abandoned the Flamethrower attack in favor of ducking just in time to narrowly dodge the would-be devastating attack as it sailed directly over the crouching Braixen.

"Serena!" Ash called over, "Remember, they're just as blind as you are with that cloud of dust in the way! Use that to your advantage!"

Serena gaped at Ash's genius for a moment before returning a smile of gratitude towards him, "Thanks, Ash! Hear that, Braixen? We can use this to our benefit, so lay low and take potshots with Flamethrower! With all these tentacles, we're bound to hit some of them!"

"Well,"'Riley said to his partner, "Those two are certainly capable, wouldn't you say?"

'Indeed', Replied Lucario, 'Perhaps you were correct after all.'

"See? I told you they'd be-"

'I said perhaps. They've yet to fully convince me.'

"Hawlucha, use Bulk Up!" Called out Ash.

Hawlucha nodded, not that anyone else could see it, and flexed his muscles. Steam began erupting from Hawlucha's arms and they slowly began reddening from the sheer heat.

"Hawww!" The wrestling Pokemon bellowed.

"Sweet!" Cheered Ash, "Now use-"

"Tangrowth, Constrict!"

Ash was cut off when Hawlucha let out a grunt of pain. Erupting from above the cloud of smoke, a tentacle came up, holding Hawlucha in a death grip. The bird screeched in pain as the tendril tightened its immense grip.

"Hawlucha, no!"

"Now, finish this with Giga Drain! Don't stop until you've taken every ounce of energy from it!"

Several more of the gargantuan green tentacles erupted from the smoke cloud and smothered tentacles, after having completely enveloped the poor bird, started to glow, and streaks of white could be seen moving down through them.

"An excellent strategy!" Cilan complimented with a snap of his fingers, "Ceasing your opponent's movements and draining their energy is a perfect strategy! Like the aroma of an irresistible meal smothering the noses of their recipient, an attack like this will leave only satisfied results!"

"Nothing about this is satisfying!" Hissed Ash, "Hawlucha, use X-Scissor to cut yourself free!"

From within the ball of densely wrapped tentacles holding Hawlucha captive, The aforementioned wrestler bird let out a grunt of effort and attempted to push the tendrils away in order to free his hands and use X-Scissor but Erika saw through this and quickly issued her own counter.

"Tangrowth, tighten your grip! Don't let it escape!"

The mass of tentacles followed its orders and dozens more of the emerald-colored tendrils rose up from the cloud of dust to crush Hawlucha even further, eliciting a frustrated and agonized cry from him.

"No, Hawlucha!" Ash cried in desperation.

"Braixen, use Flamethrower!"

Suddenly, a stream of flames shot at the ball of tentacles, searing them and making a shriek erupt from somewhere below. Sensing his new elbow room, Hawlucha extended two green blades of energy from his fingertips and sliced himself free.

" _HAW!"_ Bellowed Hawlucha as he landed amidst the rain of shredded tentacles. Hawlucha looked down at one of the tentacles at his feet in disgust and and kicked it away from him.

Ash looked dumbstruck for a moment and turned to face Serena, who gave him a grin.

"While everyone else was staring up at where Hawlucha was, nobody noticed that all the tentacles swept away the dust cloud on their way up! I had the perfect shot, so I took it!"

At this, Ash's dumbstruck gaze continued for a moment before he grew a grin as well, "You saved me there, Serena! Thanks."

Serena let out a small giggle, "Don't mention it. Now, how about we get our fourth badge?"

Ash turned his gaze back onto the battlefield with a determined look on his face, "Couldn't agree more. You ready, Hawlucha?"

Hawlucha flashed a thumbs-up and grinned back at his trainer, "Haw!"

"You ready to roll as well, Braixen?" Serena asked, to which Braixen adopted a crouching stance with one hand planted on the ground and the other in the air behind her.

"Brai!"

Erika huffed, now moderately annoyed that this was going to be a more difficult fight than she initially thought.

"Hmph. You sure have grown as a trainer since we last met, Ash. However, so have I! Tangrowth, overwhelm them! Use every last tentacle at your disposal to crush them!"

Cilan laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his head, "Don't you think you're taking this a little too seriously?"

Erika ignored the Unovan Gym Leader and swiped her arm outward, "Go, Tangrowth! Finish them!"

 _GROOOOOOOOOWWWTTTTTHHH!"_

From beneath the ground, hundreds of more of the gargantuan tendrils erupted violently outward at Braixen and Hawlucha. It was as if a tidal wave of tentacles was rushing to swarm them.

"Hawlucha, use X-Scissor and get ready to jump!"

"Braixen, jump onto them and use Flamethrower and Fire Punch to ward off any that come after you!"

Both of the Pokemon nodded and leapt onto the frey of tendrils. They raced up the hundreds of tentacles, using them as footing as they jumped from tendril to tendril.

"Look for the host body!" Commanded Ash.

Serena finished his thought for him, as if their minds were linked, "If we can find the original body of the Tangrowth, we can put a stop to the tentacles!"

"Tch!" Huffed Erika, "As if you'd be able to find it! It's underground and, in case you haven't noticed, the entire ground is covered with his tentacles!"

"Why would you tell them that?!" Shouted an exasperated Cilan.

"Great! So all we have to do is cut away at the tentacles until we can find the hole they're coming from!"

Erika growled, "As if I'd let you get that far! Tangrowth, use a flurry of Energy Balls and Constrict them once you stun them!"

Dozens of the swarming tentacles rose up around Braixen and Hawlucha and pointed downwards, gathering energy at their tips in preparation for raining down hell unto its opponents. Braixen and Hawlucha nodded at one another and raced at the tentacles, cutting them clean off with Flamethrower and X-Scissors respectively.

However, the Tangrowth's seemingly endless supply of appendages rocketed upwards from the swirling mass and arched downward in an attempt to simply slam into the annoying Pokémon on them. Braixen and Hawlucha jumped upward and raced up one of the the tendrils at it shot down at them. However, as they reached the top of the tendril's arch, they were met with Simisage charging something between its hands.

"Simisage, Focus Blast!"

Hawlucha and Braixen instinctively put up their arms to guard themselves as a yellow explosion erupted directly in front of their faces, shooting them downward. Hawlucha managed to right himself midair and landed safely on one of the tendrils below. Braixen, however, was not as fortunate. The aforementioned fox Pokémon crashed onto her back viscously, making a choked, abrupt cry of pain shoot out from her.

"Braixen, no!" Cried Serena.

Braixen attempted to stand back up and hissed through grit teeth, only for a plethora of the vines to loom over her menacingly. Braixen hardly had the time to turn around before she was slammed by the vines as they crashed downward.

" _BRAIXEEEEN_!"

"One down," Erika cheered, "One to go! Now Tangrowth, use Giga Drain until that Braixen is completely unconscious!"

The swarm of tendrils began to glow a familiar shade of light green that made Hawlucha grit his teeth at the memory of what had happened to him not too long ago.

Ash growled, "Hawlucha, use X-Scisdor to cut her free!"

"Not so fast, Ash!" Cilan intervened, "Simisage, use Focus Blast once more at maximum power!"

The green simian leapt out from behind one of the colossal vines and shot a large yellow ball of ferocious, crackling energy directly at Hawlucha hardly had the time to react and favored attempting to hold back the blast instead of reacting in the minuscule time he was allowed.

" _Krrggh!_ " Hawlucha grunted as he tried to hold back the powerful attack. However, he found that he began to lose his footing. The crackling sphere of energy was beginning to be far too difficult to push back, and frankly, Hawlucha didn't know how much longer he could hold it back...and to top it all off, a mass of the tentacles had positioned itself above the bird Pokemon, ready to crush him just like Braixen.

"Hawlucha!" Ash called out, "Can you throw it or jump out of the way?!"

Hawlucha attempted to move his feet, only to lose footing even further and hasten the speed he was being pushed back at. He closed his eyes in a mixture of helpless frustration and fatigue.

Ash hissed and clenched his hands into fists, "I'll think of something, Hawlucha! Just hang in there!"

Serena gazed at Ash in dread. His position was just as bad as her own. At this rate, they'd lose!

"Braixen!" She called out, "Can you hear me?!"

…

From within the mass of crushing tendrils, Braixen limply layed. A single attack was all it took to immobilize her long enough for these tentacles to completely overpower her. Not to mention her defeat at the hands of that Butterfree only a few days prior. She was pathetic.

" _Braixen! Can you hear me?!_ "

Was that…?

" _Braixen, please!"_

 _..._ her trainer…?

" _We need you_!"

No...that couldn't be. Serena deserved better than the pathetic excuse of a Pokemon she was.

" _Braixen_!"

There's no way Serena would ever need her. After all, what kind of trainer would have use for a Pokemon who is terrified of a damn butterfly!

" _We need you, Braixen! We can't do this without you!_ "

A Fire-Type...who loses to Bug-Types and Grass-Types...laughable…

" _Braixen! We need you!_ _ **I**_ _need you!"_

… _._

" _I know you're strong enough!_ "

….

" _You can do this!"_

… _._

" _Braixen...please!"_

… _.._

" _I believe in you! I know you can do this! We've been partners ever since that day! Don't you remember?!_ "

…

" _We promised to always be there for each other!"_

...S...S…ere...na…?

" _So, please, Braixen! I know you can do this!_ WE _can do this! But we can only do it together! So please, get up!"_

Serena?!

" _Please, Braixen! I need you!"_

She could feel...a pulse within her. Like a second heartbeat, almost, only it was hot. A pang of heat courses throughout her body with every beat.

" _I believe in you,Braixen! You're my best friend! We can do this, but we have to work together!_ "

This heat...it felt...like a pull...like her entire body was urging her to respond to her trainer. The trust her trainer had placed in her despite her failure. She couldn't let this go...this heat continued to pulse throughout her entire body like waves. Like a tsunami crashing against a shoreline. This...was the feeling of mutual trust from a trainer and Pokemon at its limit.

" _BRAIXEN!_ "

And she would be damned not to answer her trainer's call! No, her _friend's_ call. She would do _anything_ for her, and she knew her trainer would return the favor!

" _BRAIXEEEEEEN!_ "

SHE WOULD _NOT_ LET SERENA DOWN AGAIN!

…

"BRAIXEEEEEEN!" Serena called out at the top of her lungs.

Ash cursed at his helplessness, gritting his teeth in frustration.

"Guess this match is over, then," Erika announced, holding Tangrowth's Pokeball out, "Tangrowth, great job out there. Retu-"

" _BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIII!_ "

A muffled scream could be heard from underneath the mass of vines. It slowly grew louder and louder until a red spot could be seen growing in size alongside it.

Serena clasped a hand to her mouth and tears threatened to drop from her widened eyes.

"Braixen?!"

Ash grinned confidently, "See that, Hawlucha?! We're back in the game! Now, use Bulk Up with everything you have and smash through that Focus Blast!"

Hawlucha nodded and focused every last bit of energy he could muster into his arms with a ferocious bellow. His entire body slowly grew in size due to the muscles that began to sprout on his arms.

" _LUUUUCHA!"_

With one swift motion, Hawlucha punched through the powerful blast and sent the remaining sparks of energy from the Focus Blast sailing behind him and dissipated into nothingness. The tendrils hovering over Hawlucha shot downward in an attempt to stop the problem Tangrowth could sense coming, but Ash saw through it.

"Hawlucha, use X-Scissor above you!"

Hawlucha responded by summoning two light green blades of energy from his fingertips once more and slicing the vines above him into shreds as they made contact with him at speeds no one in the room, save the two Aura Guardians on the sidelines, could follow.

" _CHAAAAAAAA!"_ Roared Hawlucha.

A pillar of white-hot flames burst from beneath the vines that had crushed Braixen beneath them, crashing into the roof and, ultimately, straight through it. Braixen roared fiercely as she finally managed to free herself. Tangrowth, from somewhere underground, shrieked in agony and pulled its tentacles back underground.

"What the?!" Guffawed Erika in disbelief, how can your Pokemon still move?!"

"You of all people should know," Cilan remarked, "It's the trust between trainer and Pokemon."

Erika stared at him with an odd mixture of a blank and surprised look on her face before shooting a determined look back onto the battlefield.

"We have that too, right Tangrowth?! Let's give 'em everything we've got!"

From beneath the ground, Tangrowth shot up and landed with a crash. Now that every tendril it has was back into place, the full scope of its size could finally be seen.

"That thing's gotta be at least twenty feet tall!" Ash remarked in awe.

"It doesn't matter!" Serena cheered, "Right, Braixen?!"

Braixen leaned her head back and unleashed another pillar of fire in response.

" _BRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIIII!_ "

Riley looked on from the sidelines eagerly, "That must be Braixen's Blaze ability! But, I've never seen one so potent before!"

He nudged his partner, "Well, are you impressed yet?"

Lucario leaned forward and allowed a grin to creep up his mouth, 'We shall see.'

Another of Ash's Pokeballs seemingly opened on its own, releasing Infernape. The fiery primate looked on at Braixen in awe of the power that both he and the fox Pokemon shared when on their last legs.

"So," Ash started, "I can see you're interested in Braixen's Blaze ability, eh Infernape?"

Infernape nodded silently without taking his eyes off of Braixen.

"Tangrowth, use Solarbeam!"

"Simisage, you too!"

The colossal Pokémon extended his arms outward, summoning a growing green ball of energy between its hands. Simisage hopped in front of Tangrowth so that he was positioned underneath the giant's arms and charged his own ball of green energy. The sheer power of these two attacks charging was enough to make the ground begin to shake.

"Braixen!" Serena commanded, "Let's finish this! Use Flamethrower at max power!"

" _BUUURAAAAIII_!" Responded Braixen with a surge of the viscous flames surrounding her, causing everyone in the room except the battling Pokémon to have to cover their eyes due to the sheer heat and brightness.

Erika, Cilan and Serena pumped a fist skyward in unison.

" _GOOOO!"_

" _GROOOWTH!_

" _SAAAAGE!"_

" _BRAAAAAIIIIII"_

The two Solarbeams merged together and rushed at Braixen with such force that the ground in its path was completely obliterated. Braixen's Flamethrower met the combined green lasers with equal force, resulting in a shockwave that nearly knocked everyone off their feet.

"You can do it, Braixen!" Cheered Serena.

In response, Braixen shouted at the top of her lungs, backing up her attack with nearly double the power.

" _BUUUUURRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIII!_ "

"Don't give in, Simisage!" Cilan encouraged, "Let your power mimic, no, surpass that of the perfect meal's effect on the tastebuds!"

"Tangrowth! Use every last shred of your power!"

" _SIMISAAAAAAAAAGE!"_

" _TANGROOOOOOOOOOWWWWWWTH!"_

The combined Solarbeam tore forward, impacting the Flamethrower with still-equal power that threatened to collapse the building itself from the sheer power. But suddenly, the Solarbeam began to slowly push forward.

"Yes!" Cheered Erika, "Now finish this once and for all!"

"Oh no, it's not enough!" Shouted Serena, "Braixen, hang in there!"

Braixen shut close her eyes in fatigue. This power struggle was one she was beginning to lose.

Ash grinned, "Two against one isn't fair, eh Hawlucha? Use X-Scissor on Tangrowth!"

Hawlucha nodded and rushed at Tangrowth with two green blades of energy on his hands.

"Tangrowth, intercept it with your vines!" Ordered Erika.

Some of the tendrils on Tangrowth's legs unraveled and shot underground. Suddenly, one of them shot up in front of Hawlucha's path, to which Hawlucha sidestepped. Another one shot up, and he dodged to his right, then to his left as a third one appeared in his way. Another one appeared to the side ahead of him, forcing him to lean backward and slide underneath it. He was almost there now; just a little further. As a last-ditch effort, a wall of vines appeared in Hawlucha's way.

"Cut through them!" Ash commanded.

Hawlucha grinned and leapt forward, slashing through the wall of vines with ease, making them fall limply behind him. With Tangrowth wide open and helpless, Hawlucha charged at the wide-eyed jungle-of-a-Pokemon and in an instant, two bright gashes appeared on the side of Tangrowth's body while Hawlucha appeared on the opposite side of the giant with his arms pointed behind him. Tangrowth shrieked in pain and instinctively gave up on the Solarbeam to nurse its wound.

"Now's our chance, Braixen! Finish this!"

" _BUUUUUUUUUURAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAIIIIIIIII!"_

From Braixen's mouth, the fox Pokemon unleashed a massive beam of flames that instantaneously pierced through Simisage's Solarbeam and raced at the two Grass Types. They could only stare with wide-eyed horror for a split second until the fiery beam impacted them with such force that it made the entire building quake violently upon collision. Simisage flew out from the ensuing smoke and landed in front of Cilan in a heap.

"Simisage, no!" Cried Cilan, running onto the field to collect his fallen partner, "...you did good, Simisage. You deserve a rest."

Cilan pulled a Pokeball from his pocket and shot a small red beam at the unconscious simian, pulling it back into the ball.

Tangrowth, however, collapsed onto one knee, but was very much still conscious. With the last of its strength, the mass of vines outstretched its hands once more.

"Great, Tangrowth!" Erika cheered, "Now use- WAIT WHAT?!"

Above Tangrowth, Braixen had her fist coated in a brilliant red flame and pulled behind her, ready to strike with full force. Tangrowth helplessly stared up at the fox Pokemon and the incoming attack.

"Now," Serena commanded, "Fire Punch!"

Braixen roared and brought down her flaming fist into Tangrowth's face, making it seemingly implode in on itself. She sailed past the mass of vines and landed behind it. The giant Tangrowth stood still for a moment before finally collapsing onto its back, unconscious.

"Tangrowth And Simisage are unable to battle!" Announced the referee, "The winners are challengers Ash and Serena!"

Erika looked absolutely stunned for a few seconds before letting out a sigh and returning her massive Pokemon to its Pokeball.

"Good job, Tangrowth," She commended, "You take a long rest now."

Serena rushed onto the field just in time to catch Braixen as she weakly fell out of her Blaze mode and into her trainer's arms.

"You did amazing! There's no way I'd have ever come this far without you, Braixen. Now, I'd say you deserve one heck of a rest."

Braixen weakly smiled up at her beloved trainer and friend before passing out and allowing herself to be returned to her Pokeball.

"Incredible work out there, Hawlucha!" Ash congratulated, "I'd say that was your best work yet."

Hawlucha responded by flexing and giving his trainer a thumbs-up. Infernape, marched over to Hawlucha and outstretched his palm to him with a grin, to which Hawlucha shot him a cocky but friendly grin back and gave the fiery primate a high-five before the two of them were returned to their Pokeballs.

"Hawlucha, you take a good rest. You too Infernape…"

Ash's face hardened, "We'll need you later tonight."

"Ash!" Serena called over, "Hurry up, she's giving us our badges!"

"Oh, right!" Ash replied, stuffing the two Pokeballs back onto his belt, "Coming!"

As Ash ran over to the two gym leaders and Serena were, Erika smiled and opened a small, purple box that contained two badges that looked like a golden sphere with every color of the rainbow surrounding it.

"Well, Ash, you've certainly come a long way from being a crossdressing sneak!" Erika joked, earning a giggle from Serena and a drooping frown from Ash.

"Oh, I'm only joking!"

"Hey Ash!" Cilan called over, "It was good seeing you again! You've become quite the incredible trainer!"

Ash flashed him a smile and waved at him, "It was good seeing you too! Be sure to tell Iris she's such a kid for me when you head back, alright?"

Cilan laughed, "Sure thing, Ash! See ya later!"

With that, Cilan made his way out of the room and Ash turned back to face Erika.

"Well, here you are. You two earned it. As Celedon City Gym Leader, I hereby give you the Rainbow Badge."

"Alright!" Ash and Serena cheered, "We got...the Rainbow Badge!"

"Pi, Pika!" Pikachu chirped along.

"Well?" Riley asked once more, "Were you satisfied with their abilities?"

Lucario stood up and closed his eyes, 'We will see. After all, the real test comes tonight."

…

Ash tapped his foot impatiently. He had been waiting inside the Pokemon Center nearest to the Celedon City Game Corner for hours now. Serena and Pikachu slept on a nearby bench. With how early in the day he and his group had gotten to the Gym and subsequently defeated it, it had left quite some time before it came time to stop whatever atrocity was being held below, and frankly, he was beyond getting impatient. The thought of all those Pokémon being slaughtered made him grit his teeth in frustration at his own helplessness. Every time he closed his eyes he could practically see flashes of…

"Calm yourself," Said the Aura Guardian Riley who, too, leaned against a nearby wall in the Pokemon Center they were waiting in, with his hat draped over his face"There's no use beating yourself up over something you don't yet have any control over. Besides, your Hawlucha and, especially, Serena's Braixen need this time to rest anyways. We can certainly expect resistance once we make our way down there, so we'll need every capable hand we can get."

Ash let out an impatient sigh, "I know that, but it doesn't make me feel any better. Every time I close my eyes, I can almost _see_ them!"

Riley closed his eyes, "That just means your auric powers are developing faster than anticipated. Let me tell you something, Ash."

Riley raised his gaze, "I _can_ feel them. I can hear their screams, I can see their cold cages they're locked in as they wait helplessly for the end, ...and I can feel their agony."

Ash stared at Riley in silent horror.

"It's one of the drawbacks of being an Aura Guardian," Riley continued, "You can feel all the suffering around you, but it is often that you are powerless to stop it. You must steel yourself, Ash, for one day your level of auric power will reach a point where you, too, will feel what I do."

Ash gaped at Riley, "You can't be serious! You mean you always feel everyone's suffering?!"

Riley shook his head, "No, and I should feel so lucky that I don't. It only extends to the immediate area around you, but it will always be nigh insufferable. This is your first lesson as an Aura Guardian, Ash. You must be able to embrace the suffering of others."

Ash looked down and paused wordlessly, unable to formulate some kind of response. Seeing this, Riley walked over to his young new pupil and placed a hand onto his shoulder.

"It is a terrible thing, yes Ash, but it is something we, as Guardians of Aura, must do. But know that you will never be alone. I will walk the path of an Aura Guardian alongside you, as both mentor and friend. Should you ever need guidance, or simply someone to talk to to sort out your thoughts and emotions, I will always be here for you, as will all of your other friends. Remember that."

Riley gave the budding Aura Guardian a smile and patted him on the shoulder before walking back to the wall and leaning against it once more, staring down so that his hat shadowed his face.

"...Riley?" Ash started.

"Hm?"

"...Thanks."

Riley smiled, not that anyone else could see it, "Not a problem at all, Ash."

…

Ash and co. exited the Pokemon Center now that midnight had passed. A storm had broken out, much to Serena's chagrin.

"So," Ash asked, "What's the plan?"

Riley nodded and turned to face the rest of the group, "Pikachu, I will need your assistance first."

"Pi!" Pikachu chirped.

Riley continued, "First, we have Pikachu sneak over to the side of the building, running through bushes and whatever else he can use to get close. Once there, you need to try and find some kind of power grid and fry it with your electricity. That should take care of the outside cameras and security system. Pikachu is the smallest and fastest of us, not to mention he's a Pokemon, so even if he's caught on camera, he'll probably be ignored."

"Sounds good," Agreed Ash, "You up for it?"

Pikachu nodded confidently and gave Ash a determined look.

Riley motioned to his partner, "We'll treat Pikachu electrocuting the cameras as the signal. Once he stops, we all run over quickly and Lucario will force open the doors. Once in, we need to find a way to the basement as fast as possible. We don't know how long the security system will stay offline."

"And after that?" Asked Serena.

"We'll cross that road once we get to it. Besides the Pokemon being kept down there, I have no idea what to expect. Are you all ready?"

The group wholeheartedly nodded.

"Great. Then Pikachu, go quickly!"

Pikachu grinned and bolted off of Ash's shoulders and into the bushes nearby while the rest of the group hid in an alleyway next to the Pokemon Center. The yellow mouse slowly peaked out of the bushes at the Game Corner ahead. He counted three cameras from where he could see at the moment. Pikachu rushed out of the leafage and pressed his back up against the nearest building. Slowly, he scooted over to the corner and peaked around at his target. There was no way he'd get by undetected, so he could only hope that whoever was watching through those cameras wouldn't deem him to be much of an issue.

Pikachu bolted out from behind the corner and crouched down now that he had made it to the wall of the gambling building. He stared up tentatively and, to his relief, the cameras kept scrolling slowly from side to side as if Pikachu had never been seen at all. The yellow rodent quietly scooted over and around the walls of the building until he found a grey metal box on the side of the wall. Grinning mischievously, Pikachu rubbed his hands together and discharged a stream of electricity into the box, resulting in the shrill sound of sparks as the electricity box was completely fried. Now that his job had been completed, Pikachu sprinted back towards his group.

"Now's our chance!" Riley announced.

The four of them charged out of the alleyway in a mad dash. Ash held out his arm so that Pikachu could jump back onto his usual place on Ash's shoulders as they ran. Riley and Lucario slid to a halt on the muddy ground once they had reached the building, whereas Serena and Ash nearly crashed into the wall of the building, the former panting heavily.

"You okay Serena?" Asked Ash, putting a hand on her shoulder.

Serena inhaled deeply and nodded before turning back to Riley to await the next part of their plan. Riley nodded at her and motioned at Lucario, to which the jackal Pokemon nodded back and bolted around to the front of the building. Inhaling deeply, Lucario summoned his blue aura around himself and planted his paws into the gaps in the front doors. It didn't take long until Lucario managed to push the sliding doors apart.

"Lu!" Lucario signaled.

The others soon came running around the corner to Lucario's position and piled inside.

"Alright," Riley said, scanning the room, "Now, quickly, let's try to find a door or something that leads below. We don't know how much time we have left until the security system comes back online."

Ash and the others nodded hastily and turned to split up to search for anything they could find. Ash took this moment to scan the room in its entirety. It was smaller than it looked on the outside, that's for sure. Roughly six rows of slot machines separated them from the back of the room, and there was a counter at the far end to the left. There were also some potted plants strewn about and a single framed picture of something Ash couldn't quite make out in the darkness of the room.

As Ash began looking for clues, he started with the slot machines themselves, whereas everyone else hopped behind the counter and rummaged through all the droors and whatnot, and didn't find anything important at first. His face lit up for a second when he spotted some keys laid out on one of the machines, but they had simply been someone's car keys that they had forgotten about and left behind. A few machines down, he found a stack of golden coins that were used here. The young trainer shook his head and decided against taking them.

" _Find anything?_ " Ash whispered over to Serena, Riley, and Lucario.

Serena attempted to stand up, only to bump her head on one of the drawers, hissing in pain.

" _Ugh, no not yet!"_ Serena whispered back, rubbing her throbbing head.

Ash growled silently in frustration and turned back around to keep up the search. There was only one place left he could think of, unless these guys buried their keys in the dirt of the potted plants. Ash made his way over to the painting at the back of the room. Even as he stood directly in front of it, he couldn't make out what it was supposed to be. Just some odd yellow and red shapes.

"Huh, weird," Ash mused to himself as he reached up to take off the painting.

Ash chuckled dryly at himself. He couldn't believe he was actually seeing if there was some secret door or button behind this thing. Like, how cliche is that? There's no way that there'd be-

"...Are you kidding me?"

Riley turned his gaze at Ash, "Did you find something?"

Ash chuckled in disbelief, "Guys, get over here. You're not gonna believe this."

Riley raised an eyebrow, but conceded and, along with Serena and Lucario, began to make his way over to the laughing trainer, "Ash, I don't see what's so funny; this is serio- ...you can't be serious."

Behind where the picture hung, there was a large square opening with a red button in the center. The words "Push 4 Secret Entrance" was written plain above it.

"Is this some kind of joke?"

Ash stifled a laugh with his hand, "Well, you said this place once belonged to Team Rocket, right?"

"I said there were rumors of that," Riley replied, "But what does that have to do with anything?"

Serena followed suit in Ash's laughter, "Guess it isn't just the regular three Team Rocket's that are this easy to read."

Riley's face wrinkled in confusion, "I feel like I'm being left in the dark, here."

"Don't worry about it," Ash said, "Stick with me and you're bound to run into those three sooner or later."

Meanwhile in a nearby forest, a certain three individuals were taking refuge from the storm underneath a particularly large leaf, much to their discomfort. Suddenly, one of them sneezed.

"Getting a cold there, Jessie?" Asked a purple-haired man.

The aforementioned Jessie wiped her nose with her glove, "Well, we're all going to be walking away from this with colds, but for some reason I can't help but think that one of the twerps was talking about me…"

Ash leaned forward and pressed the red button, eliciting a dull humming noise from the button. Their attention snapped over to their right when the floor next to them began lowering into a staircase, revealing a door at the bottom.

"For future reference," Riley started, "It's probably unwise to press big red buttons in areas you're breaking and entering into."

Ash shrugged, "It worked out fine, didn't it? Now let's go before the power turns back on."

Lucario took it upon himself to make his way down to the door first. He coated his fingertip in his signature blue aura and tapped the door handle in order to determine if it had an electric defense system, but his fears appeared to be without merit. Tentatively, he lowered his full hand onto the doorknob and twisted the door open, quickly stepping back in case it triggered an alarm or trap, but nothing happened.

' _All clear,_ ' Lucario reported to his partner via their auric bond.

Riley nodded affirmatively, "It seems whatever defense system this thing might've had was taken down by Pikachu."

"Nice job, bud." Ash complimented, rubbing his partner's ear affectionately and earning a pleased coo from the electric mouse.

"Speaking of the building's power," Serena said, stepping through the doorway, "Let's go before it comes back on!"

The group unanimously nodded and one by one, piled through the door and closed it behind them...narrowly avoiding the cameras in the building as they flickered back to life.

Two men dressed in black suits and caps with large red 'Rs' dominating the front side of their shirts leaned back in their chairs and let out unanimous sighs of relief. A multitude of screens showing camera feed from the outside and interior of the building flickered on, and the light from the keyboards and various other electronic devices beneath the screens lit up as well.

"Finally!" One of them said, taking a sip of their soda beside them, "The power's back on upstairs."

The other man laughed heartily, "I know, right? I was beginnin' to think we'd have to wait in the dark 'till mornin'! Say, don't we got a couple extra emergency generators downstairs?"

The first man shrugged indignantly, "Yeah, but they allocate all that crap to the labs. Sick stuff goin' on down there, I heard."

The second man leaned forward to look at the first, "Really? What kinda stuff?"

The first man in black shrugged again, "I ain't privy to that stuff, man. Besides you, I'm the newest guy here."

The second man slumped back into his seat, disappointed, "Dang. Say, whaddya think caused the power t' go out in the first place?"

"Beats me," Replied the other man, "Prolly just the storm. Maybe we got zapped by lightning or something."

"Coulda been that Pikachu we saw earlier," The second man pointed out.

"Yeah, that too."

The two men relaxed themselves in their chairs and the first man closed his eyes lazily. His partner tapped him on the shoulder, but he simply shooed his hand away.

"Lemme catch some shut-eye," The first man said grumpily.

"Wait, check this out," The second man prodded, continuing to tap on the first man's arm.

"If it's that thing with me pulling your finger again, then I'm gonna kick you square in the-"

"No, not that, Rick, look at this!"

The second man pointed at one of the camera screens, "Is it jus' me, 'er does somethin' not look right 'bout the casino?"

The first man lazily opened his eyes, "I swear, Dale, if you're screwing with me, I'm gonna…"

The first man stopped in his tracks and squinted his eyes at where Dale pointed at, leaning up in his seat.

"Yeah," Rick said, "Something does look off...is it.."

Rick pointed his finger at a small, pixelated black splotch at the end of the room by the stairway...wait…

"Uhh, Rick?" Dale started, slowly moving up from his seat, "I think someone pressed the button behind the pai-"

Dale was cut off as a black and blue paw socked him in the cheek, making him crash onto the floor.

"SWEET MOTHER OF ARCEUS!" Screamed Rick as he bolted out of his seat, only to be grabbed by the back of the head and slammed face-first into the floor, knocking him out.

"Well, that takes care of that," Riley said, clapping his hands vertically to rid his hands of dust, "Now, let's see what this place looks like on the inside."

Riley and Lucario scanned the computer screens as Ash, Serena and Pikachu entered behind them. Serena furrowed her eyebrows as she stepped over the body of the now-unconscious Rick.

"So," Ash began, "Where do we start? Can you see the Pokemon?"

Riley shook his head without looking away from the screens, "No. These only see to the outside and the casino upstairs. They must be kept on a level lower than what these cameras can see."

"Makes sense," Serena pitched in, "I mean, the door was wide open. They probably have multiple security rooms lower down."

Riley nodded, "Good point. There's no way that the rest of this will be that easy. Let's move."

The group nodded and exited the room, unaware of the fact that after they had left, Rick raised his face off the floor and giggled madly. He put a hand on his chair to hoist himself off the ground and turned to hover his hands over the keyboard in front of the various computer screens.

"Hyehhehhh!" Laughed the Rocket grunt as he spat out a bloody tooth onto the floor, "You people don't know what ya jus' up and gotten yerself into."

Rick leaned down and pressed large yellow button titled "Intruder lockdown". Suddenly, the door that had opened up from the casino slammed shut and locked itself, unbeknownst to Ash and the others. The stairs behind it then raised back up to their normal position.

"Y'all ain't goin' nowhere, punks. Shouldn't take long fer the gang to take 'em out."

Riley and others behind him made their way down a silvery, metallic hallway until the Aura Guardian at the helm suddenly held up his arm to block those behind him.

"Get down," He ordered, crouching down and huddling up against the wall to his right, "There's a camera to the left ahead."

Ash and the others crouched down and leaned their heads to the side to get a better view, and surely enough, straight ahead was a rectangular room with only a single table in the center and a small journal opened up on top of it. In the top left corner of the room, a single security camera could be seen scrolling back and forth.

Ash frowned, "Crap. Should I have Pikachu take it out?"

Riley shook his head, "No. even if the people viewing it somehow missed the bolt of lightning hurtling at the camera, they'd notice that one of their cameras had shut down and would send someone to investigate. Frankly, I'd like to avoid battling every last grunt in this place."

Ash sighed, "I see your point, but how do we get past it then?"

In response, Riley waited for a moment for the camera to completely turn away from them and then shot out his arm in the camera's direction. The camera was enveloped in a blue coating and ceased movement.

"I can use my Aura to stop it from moving. If we're lucky, then they won't notice one of their cameras being still."

"Sweet," Ash remarked, "Now, let's get a move on, quick!"

The group collectively nodded and rushed ahead to the next hallway, but as Serena ran, she noticed something that caught her eye. A single, mahogany-colored journal laid open on the table in the center of the room, and she could make out the word "Project" on the paper.

"Hey, guys wait!" She half-whispered, half-yelled to her companions, who skidded to a halt in response.

' _What is it?_ ' Lucario growled, though no one but Riley could understand, ' _We can't idle about, you know._ '

As if Serena could fathom Lucario's speech, she continued, "There's some kinda book or something back here! Maybe it has information on this place?"

"With all-due respect, Serena," Riley started, "What kind of secret organization would leave their secrets in a single book completely out in the open and on the closest floor to the surface? It's probably just an instruction manual or something."

Ash shrugged, "I dunno, if Team Rocket's involved, then it's more than likely they would leave something that important lying about."

Serena motioned for the group to follow her back towards the room with the wave of her arm, "C'mon, it couldn't hurt to check it out real quick, right? It'll only take a few seconds, and maybe it could help us map out the place?"

Riley let out a low sigh, but ultimately complied, "Very well. I suppose it couldn't hurt to read a small portion of it."

' _Are you sure?'_ Lucario asked, ' _You would need to hold the camera still for the entire duration, and we will most certainly need your power later_.'

"I'll be fine," Riley replied with a reassuring smile, "Aren't I always?"

Lucario closed his eyes and grumbled, following Ash and Serena back towards the journal, ' _I should hope so_.'

Serena leaned over the table to get a better look at the journal's contents and pursed her eyebrows in confusion as she read it over.

"What's it say?" Ash asked, peering over her shoulders.

Serena cleared her throat, "It doesn't make much sense, but it mentions some "Project". The thing is, most of the book is blacked out. In fact, only the page that was open already still has anything on it."

"Well, you've already made us come back," Riley started as he walked back into the room with Lucario at his side, "You might as well read it aloud."

Serena nodded, "Okay. It says, " _Entry 1: Project_ " ...that part's blotched out with ink."

Everyone motioned her to continue.

"Project… " _...Project —-. No results so far. The hosts procured have all been unsubstantial and — as a result. We are currently looking for new potential hosts while —- suggest more methods…_ ""

Serena looked up from the journal and back to the group, "That's all it says. Everything after that is gone."

Riley crossed his arms and closed his eyes in thought, "A project...and "hosts"?"

Ash furrowed his brows, "And what the heck does "unsubstantial" mean here?"

Riley shook off his train of thoughts, "It doesn't matter. What matters now is finding the Pokemon and getting them out of here."

"Right!" Shouted the group collectively, taking off back down the hallway. As they ran, the blue hold on the camera dispersed, letting it resume its continuous scrolling.

Ash and the group ran down the hallway until they came upon a door labeled "1-2F" with a crude picture of a stick figure in a Team Rocket outfit walking down a flight of stairs.

"No elevator, huh?" Serena asked dejectedly to no one in particular.

"We should hope not," Riley replied, tugging on the door handle to open it, "If we had to rely on an elevator, they could remotely control it and lure us into a trap."

The door popped open without issue as Riley tugged on the door handle. Ash took it upon himself to lean over the edge in order to see how far down the stairs went, and gaped when he couldn't even see the bottom.

"Oh man!" Ash cried in disbelief, "By the time we get down these, it'll be morning!"

"Not if we jump straight down," Riley offered with an almost devious-looking smirk.

"Nice joke," Serena retorted, "But for real, how are we gonna get down?"

Riley simply held his arms out at Serena and Ash, and the two of them suddenly found themselves, along with Pikachu, beginning to float off the ground, coated in blue auric energy.

"W-whoa!" Serena cried, flailing her arms helplessly, "You can't be serious!"

"I'm completely serious," Riley replied as he hoisted himself onto the railings of the staircase, "If we're going to rescue the Pokemon, we'll need to be as fast as possible."

Ash pumped his fist confidently, "I hear you. Alright, I'm game."

"Pika!" Pikachu piped in, mimicking his trainer.

Serena let out a hopeless whimper and clutched her purse to her chest, knowing there was no way out of this. Riley chuckled at the two of them and turned his gaze to the abyss below while Lucario hopped up next to him.

"Alright," Riley said as he levitated Ash and Serena above the spiraling staircase, "Here we go!"

Serena placed one of her hands over her mouth to muffle her scream and wrenched her eyes shut as they plummeted. Ash, however, had a large grin plastered on his face the whole way down. After nearly twenty seconds of falling, Riley slowed their descent to a stop and placed the two trainers onto the metal floor. Almost immediately, Serena fell over onto her rear from the dizziness.

"Well," Riley started as Ash hoisted Serena to her feet, "Let's get going, shall we?"

"Please tell me we won't have to do that again," Serena whined dizzily.

Riley snickered at Serena, clearly enjoying this more than he should be and replied, "No promises there, sorry," Much to Serena's chagrin.

"So what's next?" Asked Ash.

Riley turned his gaze towards a branching path of hallways, "This is a good moment for your second lesson in Aura, Ash. Try to feel out where the Pokemon are and you lead us from there."

' _Are you sure about this?'_ Lucario asked incredulously, ' _Every second matters. The longer we take, the longer the Pokemon suffer_.'

' _I know that_ ,' Replied Riley, ' _But I have faith in him. He was able to sense them earlier, and I have no doubt he'll be able to sense them now that we're in closer proximity.'_

Ash stared down at the palm of his hand, almost expecting it to flare up with the familiar blue flames of Aura as he concentrated on it. He clenched his hand into a fist when nothing happened, but turned to face the hallways regardless, eager to test himself. He took a moment to inhale deeply, then crouched down, closed his eyes, and placed the open palm of his hand onto the floor below.

Riley grinned at his new protege and nudged Lucario with his elbow, ' _See? He's a natural._ '

Lucario simply grunted in response.

At first, Ash felt nothing out of the ordinary. Nothing different from simply closing one's eyes. It was just like before; earlier today when he, Riley and Lucario all felt the hellish torment happening far below...just like before...just like-

"Gah!" Ash screamed, jerking backwards. He felt it again. Horrors indescribable by words. Agony untold. Ash stared, wide-eyed, down at the floor where he felt it and raised his head upward to see that he was now facing the hallway to his right.

Serena attempted to run to his side, but was stopped by Lucario who, when given a questioning look, motioned to Riley who was already making his way over to him. Ash nearly jumped as Riley clapped a hand on Ash's shoulder.

"Great work," Riley commended, "It won't be much longer now."

Ash took a moment to respond, breathing deeply before turning to face Riley with a determined smile, "Yeah...let's keep going."

As the group entered through the door at the end of the hallway, Riley held up an arm to block the rest of them from entering. He closed his eyes, attempting to scan the surrounding area for people or any other signs of life...but oddly, found nothing. Nothing, save for the poor tortured souls far below.

"That's odd," Riley mused.

Serena raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "What is?"

Riley turned back to face the others, "Besides the two grunts at the camera station above, we haven't seen a single person here."

Serena's eyes lit up in realization, "So you mean you think the others are hiding in wait for an ambush?"

Riley nodded at her, "You're perceptive. Yes, that's an option, but we don't know for sure."

"Well, it is nighttime, after all," Offered Ash, "Maybe the rest of them are just asleep?"

Riley shook his head, "Even if that were true, there would have to be some guards on patrol…I have a bad feeling about this."

"This place is nothing _but_ bad feelings all around," Ash replied solemnly, "The only thing we can do right now is keep moving forward, no matter what."

Riley and Lucario stared at Ash with a mixture of slight astonishment and respect, whereas Serena lightly giggled and said, "Only someone like you, Ash, could say something like that."

"Indeed," Riley agreed, "Well said, Ash."

Ash sheepishly scratched the back of his head, "Uh, thanks?"

Lucario impatiently knocked on the metal walls to get the group's attention and motioned at the room ahead with his thumb.

As the group entered the room, Riley quickly froze the camera in place as it scrolled over to the corner like before, allowing them to move unperturbed. The room consisted of several bookshelves that were all filled to the brim with their namesakes, two rows of fancy-looking computers, and a single metal table with yet another journal opened up in the center.

"Spread out," Riley ordered, "Try to see if you can find out anything useful, like a schedule of the grunts' routines in case there really is something wrong with their absence, or a map of the security systems."

The group nodded and split up to search through whatever they could find, but Riley stopped Serena.

"Serena, hold on for a sec."

"Hmm?"

"Go check out that journal on the table over there and see if it has anything on what the previous one was about."

Serena nodded, "Gotcha."

The young trainer made her way over to the table and peered down, clearing her throat to read aloud as her companions scoured the bookshelves.

" _Entry No. 2: Project —-_...Dang, that part's still blacked out."

"Keep reading," Riley ordered from across the room, to which Serena nodded and continued.

" _Entry No. 2: Project —- The...applicants we took in have all been worthless failures. Not a single one of them so far survived the experiments and wasted my...our precious resources by perishing. Worthless, the lot of them! Only one of them currently remains living, but we've all but ceased experimentation with him so it is unlikely he will live much longer. Fortunately, my...our Board of Suggestions recently came up with an idea. An old scientist for Team Rocket had worked on creating artificial life from scratch on a small island facility. Though his work never came to fruition, he was able to procure a single petrified hair strand from the Legendary Pokemon Mew who is said to be the ancestor of all Pokemon. With this, yes, with THIS...our..._ my _plans will come to fruition. The only complication... is that the facility was destroyed by unknown means. It is theorized that the head scientist became so caught up with his projects that he had forgotten to stabilize the generators with coolants, resulting in the untimely demise of those on the island and, more importantly, the documents and data recordings in the laboratory, thus making the likelihood of the single petrified hair of Mew not only still intact, but also still on the island itself and not in the seabed slim to none...but if we manage to acquire this strand of Mew's hair, there's no way in Distortion World I'm letting Him have it…_ "

Serena let out a long-winded sigh of relief now that her reading was finally at an end.

"That...was intense."

"No kidding," Ash piped up, "I didn't even catch half of that."

Riley put down the book in his hands back into the shelf and placed a hand to his chin in deep thought.

"There's almost too much information to go over. Applicants perishing? Resources? I can hardly believe all that nonsense about Mew. Acquiring such a thing as one of her hairs would be more difficult to find than finding a brown-colored needle in a haystack."

"And who the heck is "him"?" Serena asked, "This is getting way too confusing."

Riley turned away and pointed to a door behind where Serena was standing.

"It's probably best not to worry about it. First and foremost, what matters now is rescuing the Pokemon."

With that, the group collectively nodded and left the room behind, letting the security camera go back to scanning the room. As they continued onward, they came across a four-way segment. Riley's and Lucario's eyes suddenly widened and they pushed the others backward just in time to avoid several speeding white streaks zooming by from the right and crashing into the end of the hall.

"What the heck was that?!" Yelled Ash.

Riley narrowed his eyes without turning back to face Ash and Serena, "Some kind of automatic defense system. That explains why I couldn't sense it."

"Well, now we know why there weren't any actual guards," Serena offered, but Riley shook his head.

"No, not quite. If there wasn't this kind of defense system above, then there was clearly meant to be some grunts defending the levels above...I don't like this at all."

' _I'll take care of this_ ,' Lucario offered, ' _You've been exerting yourself during this entire infiltration, and we both know there's a good chance we'll be fighting something by the end of this_."

Riley nodded and stepped back, ' _Thank you, Lucario._ '

Lucario nodded back at him and held out his arms in front of him, summoning a blue barrier in front of himself. He motioned for the others to stay close behind him and breathed deeply before jumping out and pointing his barrier where the projectiles had come from moments before. Instantaneously, the aforementioned projectiles were fired at him from some kind of continuously-rotating metal machine and bounced off of his barrier upon contact, decorating the floor with the metal bullets that were being fired at him. Lucario winced at the sheer force these things carried. Already, his arms and legs were on the verge of buckling.

"Go!" Riley commanded, waving his hand to motion Ash and Serena to follow him. The two trainers nodded and quickly sprinted past Lucario and into the next part of the hallway. Seeing that his comrades were now safe, Lucario dived into the hallway beside them and letting the gleaming metal projectiles sail harmlessly past where he once stood. The jackal Pokemon let out a winded sigh and leaned his head back, closing his eyes momentarily to catch his breath before standing back up and flashing the group a thumbs-up.

"Nice work, Lucario!" Ash complimented, with Pikachu piping in a "Pika!" in agreement with his trainer.

"Yeah, nice job!" Serena pitched in, clapping her hands together.

Riley clapped a hand on Lucario's shoulder and gave him a toothy grin, "A great job as always, partner."

Lucario smirked at all the praise and crossed his arms.

"Rio," He said simply, moving forward to continue.

As the group continued forward, they soon heard odd mechanical-sounding noises and clicks behind them. Lucario turned around for a split second to be met with the sight of several similar-looking machines from the one just moments before, only now they had appeared from within the walls...and they were surrounding the group. Acting on reflex, Lucario summoned a barrier around himself and the rest of the group. Riley has noticed it as well, and he followed Lucario, summoning a barrier around the group as well and merging the two force fields together just in time to avoid the hundreds of metallic projectiles pouring from the walls like rainfall and hammering into the azure barrier. With every impact, a small ring of energy would erupt from the impact zone and disperse like a pool of water having a rock thrown into it.

Ash and Serena, who had no such combat instinct like that of the two Aura Guardians, were taken aback at the fact that, in an instant, they were now encased in a blue orb of energy that was being pelted by deafening shots of some kind of metal that now decorated the floors.

"What in the-?!" Ash stammered.

"Run, now!" Riley screamed, "I don't know how much longer Lucario and I can hold this!"

Ash and Serena's eyes widened like dinner plates and the two of them quickly nodded. The four of them took off like, ironically, a bullet down the hallway looking for any kind of door or exit. As they ran, more of the machines erupted from the walls and fired on the group. At this point, the ground was nearly completely coated with the metal projectiles, the group considered themselves very lucky that the barrier pushed them out of the way as they ran. Suddenly, Riley's blood ran cold. The barrier was beginning to crack. It started as barely-noticeable at first, but before he knew it, spiderweb-like cracks began appearing all around the shield.

' _I see a door straight ahead!'_ Lucario shouted.

Riley nodded and turned tolook at Serena and Ash over his shoulder, "Run as fast as you can right now! We're almost to the end!"

That affirmation was all the motivation the two young trainers needed, and collectively, the four of them yelled as they approached the endpoint.

" _YYEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA_!"

The quadruo burst through the door and slammed it shut behind them just as the barrier finally shattered into blue dust that faded away into nothingness. Their bodies heaved for air, and they collapsed onto the floor,completely exhausted out of their minds.

"What in...the heck...were those?!" Serena demanded between breaths.

Riley looked over to Ash, "Hey...you don't think those machines...were like… the guys from yesterday night, right?"

Ash looked at him oddly until he recalled the men in black that had chased him through the forest from the night prior.

"What...about em?"

"Remember...those small...handheld weapons they had? They were...kinda like...those things in the room...back there...weren't they?"

Ash furrowed his brow in an attempt to wrack his exhausted mind for those memories, then his face lit up in realization. His mind flashed back to the prior night and he recalled the small metal objects the men carried. They attempted to shoot Riley with it, but he managed to deflect it. They also held one of them up to Ash's head and frankly, he was too scared out of his mind at the time to question it.

"Yeah...you're right! They had...smaller versions...of those things in the room...back there!"

Serena paled, "Wait...so this place...is connected...to those guys?!"

Riley halfheartedly shrugged, "It's...a possibility...but that would leave...more questions than answers…none of which...I am prepared...to think about right now…for now, let's rest for a couple minutes...yeah?"

In response, the group wholeheartedly nodded and slumped backwards, panting heavily in exhaustion. After a few minutes passed, Serena was, surprisingly, the first to get back onto her feet, albeit shakily. She took a moment to size up the room they were in and gaped. On another table in front of her, three journals laid open.

"Guys!" She whisper-yelled, "There are three journals here!"

"Can you read 'em aloud for us?" Ash asked.

Serena nodded and cleared her throat. " _Entry No. 3: Project —. They found it! The hair of Mew had been contained in a small metal orb beneath the main lab and survived all these years. With this, my project has become vastly more expansive. However, —- does not yet know that I have this item, and I intend to keep it that way._ "

Serena moved over to the next one, " _Entry No.4: Project — It worked perfectly! Like a charm! After only a few months after obtaining the petrified hair, we were able to create a human girl from scratch that far surpasses the potential of those worthless orphans we picked up. With the genetics of every Pokémon as a baseline for her potential, has skyrocketed! However, she will not gain the powers we're looking for naturally. We have to use the same method as we did with the Pokemon. We captured as many Pokemon as we could—hundreds of thousands! Upon death, the Pokemon were converted into pure DNA using the technology given by —- and spliced with the DNA of the girl, granting her incredible powers: the power to mimic the attacks of Pokemon fused into her. Even I cannot predict where this project will go! I'm getting excited just thinking about it! This is much more exciting than working with Team Galactic!"_

Serena stared at the journal in horror and backed away from it, covering her mouth with her hands. Ash pushed himself off the ground, looking far beyond pissed off.

"They...they killed…!" He rambled furiously.

"Hundreds...of thousands…" Riley finished for him, his face shadowed by his hat, "Serena, what does the last one say? No, nevermind. If it's too troubling for you, I can-"

"No," Serena interrupted, "I can...I can do this."

Serena slowly dragged herself over to read the final journal. Ash followed her and put an arm around her for comfort.

" _Entry...Entry No. 5...Project "Zero"... We named the girl and the project as a whole "Zero" as a reference to the fact that she was born from scratch. Zero was originally a project funded by — and — Corporations to be a weapon. Something about empowering humanity to take back what's ours or something like that. Not like he'll get his hands on her anyways, no, not when she is my most valuable toy! Though, she is still incomplete. Her —- never developed, and most Psychic Types proved to be problematic when we attempted to capture them. The idiot grunts would either get flung off a cliff normally or the Psychic Type would just up and teleport away. The only ones we ever managed to get a large number of were Slowpoke,and they weren't exactly of much value as their Psychic powers barely made a difference. At most, Zero can levitate small rocks, and only for about five seconds at that. Though, she once managed to teleport quite a fair distance from the laboratories, outside the city even, but we quickly managed to recapture her, as it left her in a comatose state for roughly eight hours. She has yet to display this power since. I would also like to point out that —- wanting to use her as some kind of supersoldier against Pokemon was a very bad idea, since she refused to fight the damned things! For months, when Zero was introduced to a Pokemon she was meant to kill, she would only ever make friends with them and play until the guards separated them and returned Zero to her stasis pod, which is filled to the brim at all times with an paralyzing liquid so that she cannot break free. But still, for the longest time, Zero refused to harm the Pokemon she was ordered to kill. There was one incident where she defended a Pokemon from the guards! Luckily, my fellow scientists managed to...remedy that situation. Turns out, torturing someone to the point of near death using hundreds of amps of electricity, impalement of the limbs with elongated, white-hot spires, burning them in an incinerator for a week straight, healing them, and repeating the process hundreds of times with barely any breaks can turn the most peaceful of flowers into deadly monstrosities of pure malice and hatred towards everything. Who knew? Nowadays, the experiments are going off without a hitch! Any Pokemon she's introduced to in the testing area is reduced to a beautiful crimson stain within seconds! It's wonderful! Finally some damned progress! Hell, at this point she can overpower a fully-grown Steelix without much issue. Though, she does have one glaring weakness. Being the abomination and crime against life that she is, she is in constant pain at all times. She's learned to cope with it over time but she never truly got over it. Walking, eating, even breathing is painful for her, so one can imagine that shooting a Hyper Beam from her hands and enveloping herself in a fiery explosion with Overheat wouldn't exactly be pleasant for her. Not to mention what the likes of Flare Blitz and other attacks with Recoil do to her. As far as I'm concerned, this just makes her easier to keep in line. This is just the beginning of what I have in store for her!_

 _-Dr. Charon, formerly a scientist for Team Galactic, now a part of something much greater_."

Serena stepped back from the journal slowly with her hand clasped over her mouth and her eyes widened in a mixture of horror, disgust and a plethora of other emotions she couldn't even begin to describe. Ash, meanwhile, clutched his hand into a fist, nearly drawing blood from himself and stood up. Riley continued to hide his face in the shadow of his hat, but even those in the room not sensitive to Aura could feel the silent rage emanating from him; Lucario even more so as he too took back to his feet.

Riley slowly stepped forward past Serena towards the door ahead, his back now turned away from everyone else, "I'd say...that about does it for our break...wouldn't you?"

Ash nodded solemnly, "Couldn't agree more. You ready Pikachu? Serena?"

Pikachu, as always, quickly nodded. Serena, however, stood silent. Her gaze was frozen stiff in a thousand-yard stare past Ash to the journal she had just read.

"Serena?"

Ash tentatively put a hand on the girl's shoulder, making her jump as she was snapped back to reality.

If it's too hard for you, you can-"

"No."

Serena stared directly into Ash's eyes with a resolved, fiery gaze Ash never thought possible from the typically-meek girl, "No. If I were to run and cower...to curl into a useless little ball while you all battled to stop the suffering of the Pokemon ahead…" She fiercely shook her head, "I wouldn't be able to forgive myself!"

Ash was taken aback by Serena's resolve. Never before had Ash seen this level of courage from Serena before. His look of surprise slowly curled into one of pride and he flashed her an assuring grin.

"Couldn't have said it better."

"Are you two ready yet?" Riley cut in with an impatient tone he had yet to ever show, "I can sense multiple presences ahead. Human ones."

Ash raised an eyebrow at his new mentor, "Human ones? You mean…?"

Riley nodded, "Looks like they were waiting in ambush after all."

"How many are there?" Serena asked.

"...Hundreds."

The two trainers' mouths gaped, "Hundreds?!"

"Yeah. And what's worse, there aren't any alternative pathways to the Pokemon below."

Ash hissed and slammed a fist into the metal wall beside him, "Dang it! They're luring us into a trap and we can't even do anything about it!"

Riley turned around slowly and lifted his gaze. He now sported a fierce, determined look plastered on his face that was entirety new to the two young trainers.

"Ash, Serena," He said, "Release your Pokemon now. When they try to ambush us, we'll have our Pokémon lash out against them immediately with full force." A wry grin managed to creep up Riley's mouth, "They might know we're coming, but we know they're doing the same. The second they try to attack us, all of our Pokémon will already be upon them."

Ash's eyes flashed with realization, "Oh! So it's essentially a counter-ambush!"

Riley chuckled, "Yeah, something like that. But now here comes the most important part." Ash and Serena leaned in attentively, "Our aim isn't necessarily to defeat all of them. We just need to carve a path until we can get to the door on the opposite end. From there, the Pokemon will be directly below. I'll be fighting the grunts, so one of you will have to be the one to free the Pokemon. After that, we let them rampage against the grunts and then guide them to the surface."

"Sounds like a plan," Serena chirped.

Ash and Pikachu simultaneously pumped their fists skyward, "Alright, let's do this!"

"Pika-Pika!"

"We're all ready then," Riley announced, "Let's move!"

"Right!"

"Go, everyone!" Ash and Serena cried, throwing their Pokeballs to release their teams.

As the group sprinted through the final hallway, they burst out into a massive rectangular room. The entirety of it, save for the black-tinted windows decorating the top of the walls, was covered in a shiny, silvery-colored metal. But what really unsettled the group were the various signs of battles that decorated the room. Crimson stains, burn marks and various other stains were scattered all over the floors, walls and ceiling. Suddenly, the lights flashed on and an intercom rang out through the massive room from an unseen speaker.

"Welcome!" The voice boomed, "Congratulations on making it this far!"

"Who is this?!" Riley demanded, "Show yourself!"

Whoever was speaking over the intercom giggled madly, "Ehehehehehehe, now why would I do that?! It's so much more _fun_ to play with my new puppets while unseen!"

Serena stepped backwards, unnerved, "Your puppets?! Who the heck are you?!"

"Weren't you reading those journals I so graciously left out for you lot?" The unseen voice bequeathed, "I was so kind as to leave my name in the last one; don't tell me you forgot it already!"

Realization dawned on Ash, "Wait, so you're that Team Galactic guy?!"

Riley clenched his shaking fists, "Dr. Charon…"

"In the flesh!" The voice replied with a cackle that echoed throughout the room, "So you did remember me!"

"You… _You…!_ " Ash's hands clenched into fist and he trembled with rage uncontrollably. His blood boiled, his anger flared, it was as if his entire being was filled with pure hatred for the monster of a boy couldn't even properly formulate a sentence amidst his rage. "You...how could you…?!"

"Hmm? Oh! You must be talking about my experiments! Yes, quite excellent, weren't they?" The mad doctor cackled once more, "Yes, yes, I must say they were quite amusing for the short time their delicate little lives lasted, however they all died sooner or later. That's just life though, am I right?"

The unseen doctor continued to cackle like the madman he was. Ash trembled with uncontrollable rage that continued to bubble up inside him like magma. The young trainer clenched his fists to the point that he nearly drew blood, trembling and unaware of the cyan flames creeping down his arms and into his hand.

The insane scientist chortled at Ash's fury, "You might want to check that attitude of yours, _boy_. Let's not do something that you will surely regret, eh?"

Ash ignored the doctor, "How could you?! Those Pokemon...their suffering…! What kind of sick person are you?!"

Riley and Lucario scanned the walls, waiting in case they suddenly opened. They could see the blue silhouettes of hundreds of people from inside them, but for now, they hardly moved. However, their senses told them otherwise. They could feel that these men were on the verge of attacking and got into defensive positions to ready themselves for the inevitable onslaught. Ash and Serena's Pokemon noticed the two Aura Guardians' composure and cautiously adopted battle positions of their own, surrounding Serena who didn't quite know what to make of their behavior.

"Get ready Ash," Riley instructed, "Something feels off. These guys could attack at any moment!"

Riley's warning fell on deaf ears, however, as Ash's rage only continued to grow. Seeing that his warning was ignored, Riley snapped at his pupil in order to remove him from his stupor.

"Hey! Ash! Ignore that Charon guy for now! Trust me, I despise him just as much as you do, but we have bigger problems on our hands! We can deal with him later, but for now we need to-"

"Oh what's the rush, Sir Riley?" Spoke the mad doctor, "I was beginning to enjoy my conversation with the boy."

Riley whipped his head around to face the source of the voice, "How do you know my name?!"

The mad doctor responded with some gargled mixture of a cackle and a giggle, "Eeeehhehe! Did you really think that little trick with your Aura stopping the cameras would work?! Those cameras are nothing more than decoys! The real cameras are embedded into the walls and camouflaged! And on another note, you and that dog of yours seem to have been slacking on your training recently ."

Dr. Charon cackled madly yet again before wheezing out his reply, "That guard you supposedly knocked out in the camera room?! Ehehehehehe! Turns out you never knocked him out at all! Talk about a lousy punch!"

Riley grit his teeth in a frustrated annoyance, but refused to comply with the scientist. He knew better than to reply and allow his anger to overrule his judgement. Ash, on the other hand, did not.

"Shut up!" He roared, his Aura now flaring unbeknownst to him, "When we get those Pokémon back, I'll make sure to pay you back for everything you've done to them!"

Ash's group stared at Ash in shock at the display of power he showcased.

"That's-!" Riley started.

Lucario finished his partner's thought process for him, ' _His Aura!_ '

Serena stared at Ash with widened eyes, "What is that?!"

"Ooh!" Shrieked the doctor in excitement, "What bright colors!"

"Shut up and answer the question!" Bellowed Ash, "Tell me! Where are the Pokemon?!"

"Pokemon?" The Doctor pondered, "Why, no such thing exists here...at least...not anymore…"

"You're lying! I read those journals of yours!I can feel them all right below here! Their suffering...their terror…! ALL CAUSED BY _YOU_!"

"You can wha-? Oh! I see what's happening. It's that precious little Aura you've got isn't it?"

Dr. Charon giggled sadistically, "So, you think you can feel them below, do you?! Well, I'm sorry to disappoint you, but I think you would be sorely disappointed if you ever got to them."

"We will!" Ash roared, "And when we do, those Pokémon will tear this place to the ground!"

Dr. Charon cackled, "EEEHAAAHAHAHAHA! IS THAT RIGHT?! Do you not comprehend the situation you're in?!"

The door the group entered from suddenly slammed shut and was encompassed by the same metal substance as the walls of the massive room, leaving the group trapped in Dr. Charon's twisted little game.

"To tell you the truth, _Ash Ketchum_ , a certain...business partner of mine has recently had his eye on you. Something about you having close ties to the Legendary Pokemon or something like that, so I made plans to lure you all here, but to my surprise, you all came to _me_!"

"Business Partner?!" Ash demanded, "What are you talking about?!"

The former Team Galactic scientist chortled, "It's a long story. However, you met some of his men already last night, did you not? He has been monitoring you for quite some time now, in fact.

"Wait a minute," Riley said, "You mean-"

The insane scientist interrupted him, "Indeed! You have been walking directly into my hands ever since you arrived here in Celedon City. You have all been acting just as I...no, you've been acting better than I could ever dream of! I never even had to lure you to the Game Corner; you all just _waltzed right on in_!" He paused for a moment to let out a wheezy cackle, "You lot willingly walked into the palm of my hands!"

"Yeah, we know," Riley replied nonchalantly, "We knew there was likely a trap lying towards the end of all of this when we didn't see any guards roaming around."

"Oh, is that right?" Inquired the doctor, "Then, pray tell, why did you walk straight into that trap?"

Riley smirked up at the voice's source and shrugged, "Well, you didn't exactly leave us much of an option." The Aura Guardian motioned at the Pokemon behind him, "That's why we have our Pokémon out. After all, this room would have prohibited the use of our Pokeballs...right?"

"Well played!" The doctor responded, clapping over the intercom, "However, you are mistaken about the room nullifying your Pokeballs."

Riley's smirk disappeared at that, "What? Why?"

" _EEEEEEHAHAHA!_ " Laughed the doctor in a bellowing, shrill voice that nearly forced everyone to their knees in pain, "That one's quite simple, really! It's because I want a show! No, a game! One that includes your Pokemon!"

"A game?!" Riley demanded, "You're more insane than I thought if you think we're going to-"

"No, no, you'll like this one! It's simple!"

A small entryway at the far end of the hallway opened up, splitting from the metallic walls, revealing a staircase downwards. However, the walls surrounding walls opened as well to reveal hundreds of men in Team Rocket uniforms. As soon as they realized that this was their cue, the grunts poured from the walls and surrounded Ash's group with cruel sneers and sadistic grins as they each pulled out a Pokeball from their pockets.

"All you have to do is get to that door and release the Pokemon, and you win! However, if you lose….well, since you've already read my Journals, I'll just leave it to your imagination...and one last teensy-weensy little thing…" Dr. Charon began attempting to stifle a laugh unsuccessfully , much to Ash's frustration.

"Just spit it out already!"

" _EEEHHEHEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHA!_ " Cackled the mad scientist, "You see...for every minute you take to get to the end... _ANOTHER POKÉMON DIES AAAAHAHAHAAAAAAAH!_ TA-TA!"

Ash's eyes snapped open in horror. "NO!" He bellowed, "DON'T YOU DARE!" His pure rage now boiling over far beyond its breaking point, Ash roared and instinctively forced the surrounding Aura on his body into the palm of his hand and hurled the ball of auric flames sailing into the wall where the voice once emanated from, only for a green barrier to appear in the ball's path and completely absorb the blow.

Ash collapsed onto his knees, but Riley quickly caught the young boy to keep him from falling over. "Hey, you okay?!" He

asked. The young trainer leaned his head to the side coughed violently. "What….did I just…?"

Riley sighed and leaned the young Aura wielder to his feet, clapping him on the shoulder and sending a small blue pulse throughout his body, revitalizing the boy. Ash was about to Ask his mentor what he just did, but Riley cut him off, "We'll talk about this later. For now, look alive. You too, Serena!"

Serena blinked and snapped out of her stupor, "Oh, um, right!"

She turned to her four Pokémon, "You ready?"

Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon and Clefable all nodded and turned to face the surrounding grunts, awaiting orders from their trainer.

Pikachu hopped up onto Ash's shoulder and gave him a light tap.

"Chu, Pika, Pi!"'Encouraged the Electric Mouse Pokemon, motioning to the five of Ash's other Pokemon who all gave their trainer encouraging, confident grins. Ash chuckled at his loyal friends, "Pikachu, I don't understand a word you say, but I can take a wild guess, and I gotta say, I agree. Let's do this!"

Ash's Pokemon collectively let out cheers and rushed in front of their trainer, who now eyed the sea of grunts standing in the way of the staircase that led to the trapped Pokémon below.

"Hang in there," Ash whispered, "It won't be long now."

"Pah!" One of the grunts spat, "I'm already sick of all this friendship trash these kids are spittin' out. Let's get em, boys!"

The sea of Team Rocket grunts roared and hurled their Pokeballs skyward, releasing a plethora of Muk, Golbats, Arbok, Houndour, a few Houndoom, Ariados and even a few Nidokings onto the battlefield.

"Listen up, guys," Riley commanded, "I'm only going to get to say this once. Ash, I want your Pokemon at the front curved around us in a half-circle formation. We'll need them to spearhead our way through the crowd. Serena, you and your Pokemon will be in the center. Your job is to attack anything that attacks us from above. Meanwhile, Lucario and I will attack from the rear so that nothing can flank us. Got it?"

The two trainers and their Pokémon nodded in response and attempted to move into position, but the grunts has other plans.

"Like 'ell we lettin' ya do somethin' like that!" Shouted one of the grunts, "All Muks, use Sludge Bomb above 'em! Then all Houndor and Houndoom, use Flamethrower on the Sludge Bombs!"

Almost immediately after the order was issued, hundreds of blackish-green balls of sludge were shot out by the Muks in the crowd directly above Ash's group and several streaks of flame soon followed, crashing into the Sludge Bombs and creating a massive explosion. Thinking quickly, Riley and Lucario summoned a barrier around the group and while they were able to prevent themselves from being consumed by the explosion, the entire group was sent careening in different directions.

Serena screamed as she was sent flying to the side. She dared to open her eyes only to see that she was hurtling straight towards a wall. She clenched her eyes shut, preparing for the worst...only to feel something squishy instead. The young girl tentatively opened one of her eyes and saw that Ash's Goodra has jumped up in time to catch her.

"Dra!" Chirped the gooey purple dragon happily as the two descended back to the ground.

Serena let out a relieved sigh as the dragon set her back down onto her feet, "Phew...Thanks, Goodra. But wait, shouldn't you be with..wait, where is everyone?!"

Besides Goodra and the numerous Rocket grunts leering lecherously at her, Pikachu was the only one beside her. Nervously looking back and forth between the two Pokémon by her side, she took a moment to inhale before taking a stance, ready to fight.

' _Ash isn't here this time_ ,' She reminded herself, ' _But I have two of his Pokemon. I can do this!_ '

"Goodra? Pikachu? I hope you two don't mind if I take Ash's place for a while."

"Dra!" Chirped Goodra, narrowing his eyes at the impending Rocket Grunts and spreading his arms outwards.

"Chu, Pika!" Pikachu agreed, going down onto all fours and sparking electricity from his cheeks menacingly.

Serena smirked, "All right, let's go! Pikachu, use Thunderbolt into the crowd! Goodra, use Dragon Breath straight ahead to give us some room!"

Pikachu nodded and leapt up above the crowd of Grunts to let loose a stream of electric energy down at them. Upon impact, the electricity spread outward, shocking some of the nearby Pokemon and Grunts into unconsciousness and distracting those close to the impact zone. Seeing his chance, Goodra inhaled deeply and fired a pink, smoky breath from his mouth directly at the nearest Grunts, dragging it so that it spread and consumed as many within his proximity as possible. When the pink dragon finished, he chomped down to stop the attack and spat out a small puff of smoke that had persisted within his mouth and turned around to give Serena a thumbs up.

"Nice work, you two!" Praised Serena, clapping her hands together, "Now, let's carve a path through these guys and meet back with the others!"

Riley, after having being launched by the fiery Mud Bomb's detonation quickly managed to right himself midair and landed gracefully on his feet, making sure to hold onto the tip of his hat so that it didn't fly off. He quickly closed his eyes upon landing and scanned the area with his aura in an attempt to find his comrades, but he was forced to cut off his sensory prowess in order to dodge a Poison Sting from a nearby Ariados. He muttered a curse to himself and adapted a martial arts stance, spreading his legs and raising his loosely-cupped hands.

"Houndoom, Flamethrower!" One of the Grunts commanded.

Obliging, the Grunt's Houndoom blasted a stream of orange fire from its mouth at the Aura Guardian before it, only to suddenly have its snout stomped shut by its target and kicked away. The Houndoom's owner hissed in annoyance and pulled out a metal rod from his pocket that emitted electricity upon him pushing a button on its hilt. The Grunt attempted to strike Riley with the weapon, only for his eyes to widen in disbelief as his target snatched the weapon from him and snapped it in half before he could blink.

Riley chuckled at the Grunt's expression and smashed a fist into his face, sending the Team Rocket Grunt flying into his teammates behind him, knocking down several more in the process. Riley mockingly opened his arms outward, goading more of his adversaries to dare to approach him. A few of the nearby Grunts along their Pokémon's eyes twitched in annoyance and they all rushed wildly at Riley, the aforementioned Grunts all pulling identical rods from their pockets.

"Fools," Riley spat.

As the closest Grunt attempted to strike Riley with their own electric rod, Riley grabbed their head, slammed it into his knee and then blasted them, along with several other Grunts and their accompanying Pokemon, away with a pulse of aura. One of the Grunts behind Riley thought that he could get in a strike, but was quickly elbowed in the face and knocked out. A Houndour then attempted a Crunch attack on Riley's arm but was simply swatted aside with an aura-coated backhand. As yet more adversaries descended upon Riley, he brought his hands inward in an "X" formation and promptly shot them back out, resulting in a small dome of aura being shot out at every angle from the Aura Guardian that sent everyone nearby careening away.

"Well then," Riley said, clapping the dust off his gloves, "Anyone else want to give it a shot?"

Lucario, after having been blasted away by the Mud Bomb explosion, used the momentum to deliver a devastating roundhouse kick to a nearby Golbat in his flight path that ended up sailing into the crowd of Grunts and knocking some of them over like bowling pins. Upon landing back onto the ground, Lucario noticed that Serena's Pancham, Sylveon and Clefable had all conveniently landed in a heap beside him. Sighing at his dumb luck, Lucario quickly zoomed at the group of Pokémon and planted them on their feet.

' _Listen here, because I will only get to say this once_ ,' Lucario commanded hastily, ' _Follow my orders if you want to get through this.'_

The three of Serena's Pokemon quickly nodded.

' _Good. Now, the lot of you try to dodge around the opponents' attacks while taking potshots. Distract your enemy with attacks one after another while dodging and eventually, they will fall. Got it?'_

The three nodded once more.

' _Okay, now break quickly!_ '

With that, Lucario bolted away from the three weaker Pokemon and dove straight into the frey, striking a Grunt in the face and sending him careening like a ragdoll through more of his comrades. Sensing an attack from behind, the jackal Pokemon tilted his neck so that a jet of flame sailed past, crashing into a wall. Turning to face the offender, he was greeted with a Houndoom foaming at the mouth with cracking orange flames decorating the edges of its sharp teeth. Lucario simply smirked at the attack and sidestepped so that the fire-wielding hound flew past him and then followed up by planting an Aura Sphere into its back, resulting in a cyan blue explosion that completely enveloped his opponent and sent it flying through the crowd of unfortunate Grunts in the Houndoom's path.

A nearby Grunt whipped out his electric rod and aimed to strike Lucario across the back of his head, but before the attack could hit its mark, a paw balled up into a fist struck him in the gut, forcing him to the ground in agony.

"D-damn mutt!" The Grunt cursed, clutching his abdomen.

Lucario simply replied with a 'tch' and turned away from the Rocket Grunt to try and locate the three of Serena's Pokemon with his aura. Closing his eyes, Lucario exhaled deeply and crouched down l, scanning the surrounding area, but his eyes shot back open suddenly and he took off like a rocket.

Pancham let out a shriek of pain as he was blasted with a Mud Bomb from an enemy Muk that sent him crashing onto his face. Sylveon and Clefable weren't exactly having stellar luck either. Once Lucario had taken off, it hadn't taken long for the Rocket Grunts to have their Pokemon surround the three of them. At first the trio attempted to isolate one Pokemon after another by taking Lucario's advice, so they attacked a nearby Muk with ranged attacks in an endeavor to aggravate it into following them into a less crowded area where they would have attacked it with hit-and-run tactics until it had fallen, but it had the opposite effect. Upon Sylveon attacking the giant purple pile of sludge with a Moonblast, the Muk in question, instead, had called for backup right away and the trio was surrounded nearly instantly. Now, Sylveon was sporadically dodging a constant barrage of Sludge Bombs from a group of Arbok while Clefable was attempting to, and failing to, guard against a hail of Poison Stings being shot at her viciously by hoard of Ariados. Pancham grit his teeth in frustration at his own weakness. His injuries had already become severe in only mere moments, and to his disdain, his vision had already become foggy.

As Pancham had finally managed to force himself back onto his knees, his head was suddenly stomped back into the ground from behind by a looming Nidoking, leering down at the pathetic Pokemon beneath his foot with a sadistic grin. Pancham squealed in agony as his skull was slowly crushed beneath the hulking Pokémon's foot, which only made the Nidoking's grin grow larger. That is, until the Nidoking was sent hurtling away by Lucario's foot being driven straight into its cheek. Lucario then whipped around and shot two Aura Spheres at the offending Ariados and Arbok that were attacking the two Fairy-Type Pokemon, ending their flurry of poisonous attacks with a cyan blast.

' _Hey, hang in there!'_ Lucario pleaded. The jackal crouched over and put a paw on the small Fighting-Type's head, sending a pulse of blue through the small panda-like Pokémon's body.

Pancham's eyes wrinkled for a moment and then shot open. He stood back onto his feet and looked at his hands, almost not believing it to be real, and then looked up to Lucario.

' _There_ , _that should keep you going a while longer_ ,' Lucario said, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead, ' _I must apologize. It was foolish for me to leave the three of you unguarded and surrounded like that._ '

The Jackal Pokemon stood back up to his full height, flaring his cyan aura, ' _Now, let's get down to business_.'

Pancham stared at Lucario in awe for a brief moment before smirking at him and turning to face the remaining surrounding Pokemon and nodded with a hearty "Pan!" in agreement.

Braixen crashed into one of the surrounding metal walls with a loud thud, crying out as the wind was knocked out of her. As the fox Pokemon bounced off the wall, she was caught by Infernape who had also been shot off in Braixen's direction by the Mud Bombs' explosion. Infernape landed and set Braixen back on the ground, making her stumble for a moment. Once she had regained herself, Braixen she flashed an appreciative thumbs up at Infernape, who grinned and mirrored her, until the two of them were forced to duck as a Sludge Bomb from a nearby Arbok sailed over the pair of Fire-Types, missing them by a hair.

Infernape retaliated ferociously, shooting back up to his full height and blasting the offending Pokémon with a powerful jet of flame that sent it, and those behind it, crashing into the ceiling. Braixen stared at her ally's attack in awe of its sheer might. The level of power Infernape displayed was almost like that of her with her Blaze Ability! Blinking, the Fox Pokemon snapped herself out of her stupor and stood back up, taking to Infernape's back and facing away from him.

The two Fire-Types and their surrounding adversaries stared down one another, waiting for someone to move. Braixen's eyes suddenly snapped to the side just as a Venoshock from an Ariados was fired at her, but she managed to counter it by turning to face the attack and spitting out a Flamethrower to punch through the poisonous sludge, blasting the Ariados head-on. However, what Braixen failed to notice was that a Houndoom was now inches away from the naps of her neck with a Crunch attack ready to sink into her.

The Dark-type Pokemon would have landed the deathly attack, had it not been for Infernape who whirled around and shot a Mach Punch into the side of the Houndoom's ribcage at speeds no one could even see. The nearby Grunts could only make out an orange and white blur in their target's place for a split second before their own Houndoom had been shot back at them, knocking them onto the floor.

"Fernape!" Roared the Fire-Type simian, beating his chest.

Braixen blinked with widened eyes. In only this short amount of time, Infernape has already managed to save her twice; both of which at speeds she couldn't even see, no less! Just how powerful _was_ he?!

"Dammit!" One of the Grunts bellowed, "Why the hell are you idiots just sending one Pokémon at a time at 'em?! We outnumber em by the hundreds, so use that number to your advantage!"

"Oh, wow!" A nearby Grunt exclaimed, "I never thought about that! You some kinda genius or somethin'?"

The initial Grunt stared blankly at her, rubbing his temples in exasperation, "It's people like you why we get paid minimum wage, you know that?" Without letting the other Grunt respond, the first Grunt turned back to face Infernape and Braixen. "Whatever! Just rush 'em all at once!" The Grunts and their Pokémon alike roared in agreement, charging at the two surrounded Pokemon.

Ash let out a choked cry of pain as he landed flat on his back on the hard metal floor. Cringing, the young trainer forced himself back up to his feet. Just as he managed to do so, he let out another cry of pain and clutched his left shoulder. Apparently he'd crashed directly on it after being launched by the Mud Bomb's explosion, and now something definitely felt fractured. He rolled his shoulder to test the injury, and while the pain was manageable at least, what really bothered him was a feeling similar to that of rocky sand in his posterior lower shoulder.

"I'll just have to push through it for now," Ash said aloud to himself. He then turned around, aiming to talk to Riley about it when something dawned on him.

"Hey, Riley, I-"

He was alone…

"Wait- GUYS?! Where are you?!"

...And surrounded.

The nearby Grunts and their Pokemon snapped their attention over to the isolated trainer, adopting sadistic grins as they spotted easy prey.

"Ey, did the Doc say we were supposed to keep 'em alive?" One of the Grunts whispered to another.

"I don't recall him saying so," Replied the other Grunt, earning a sadistic chuckle from the first Grunt.

The first Grunt cracked his knuckles, "Alright then! Nidoking, use- _GAUGH!_ "

The Grunt let out a choked cry of anguish as Ash's Sceptile, appearing from seemingly nowhere with his incredible speed, shot a fist into his gut at speeds faster than the eye could see, then whirled around to deliver a roundhouse kick to the Grunts' Nidoking before it could even react to the fate of its master.

"Tile." Sceptile said simply, smirking at the surrounding opponents.

Ash's eyes gleamed as he saw his trusted Pokémon land beside him. "Hey, Sceptile, nice work! Did you find anyone else yet?"

In response, Sceptile motioned with his thumb directly above himself, earning a quizzical look from Ash until he followed what he was pointing at. Soaring above, Hawlucha rose on the back of Noivern. Seeing Sceptile's cue, Hawlucha tapped his best friend's shoulder and motioned downward with a wry smile. Noivern grinned back at Hawlucha and prepared for their entrance. Noivern closed his wings and entered a nosedive towards the sea of Team Rocket Grunts below. The bat-wyvern waited for Hawlucha to jump off of his back before letting out a bellowing screech with such force that visible rings of air could be seen exiting from his mouth, knocking the Grunts in the attack's blast radius onto the ground. Hawlucha then made his move. Now that the Grunts were helpless, Hawlucha reeled back his hand in a chopping shape and slammed it into the floor with enough force to make everything in front of him fly off the ground. Smirking, Sceptile reared back his head and unleashed an Energy Ball into the crowd of airborne Grunts and their Pokémon, resulting in a detonation that blew back everything nearby and sent them sprawling onto the floor. Seeing that their stylish little intro was completed, the three of Ash's Pokemon turned to flash their trainer a thumbs up.

"Well," Ash said with a chuckle, "Glad to see you three are alright. Speaking of alright, we need to find the others before we find the the basement." He issued an order to Noivern first, "Noivern, you can probably blend in with the roof, at least somewhat. You try to find and guide the others into one group, alright?" Noivern nodded and took off to fulfill his part. Ash pointed to Sceptile and Hawlucha next. "You two are with me, alright? Let's thin out their numbers, then carve a path to the door, alright?"

"Tile!"

"Lucha!"

Ash nodded at his two partners and took a stance as his two Pokemon leapt to the opposite sides of their trainer. Some of the grunts who were on the outskirts of Sceptile's Energy Ball had now managed to take back to their feet, and didn't exactly look pleased to say the least.

"You damn brat…!" One of the Grunts cursed, holding his aching head. Furiously, he tore an electric baton from his pocket, and the legion of fellow Grunts behind him followed suit. "Now you pissed me off! Let's get em, boys! The doc never said anything 'bout keepin' em alive, now did he?!" The Grunts replied with a united roar as they hoisted their batons skyward. "That's right! Kill 'em!"

As the sea of Rocket Grunts charged at the trio in their midst, Ash noticed a familiar blue flame appearing around himself.

' _Well, if there was ever a time to experiment with this Aura stuff, it'd be now_ ', Ash thought to himself.

A choked cry of pain erupted from Serena as she was flung straight into the wall behind her. Somewhere along the way, the Grunts had managed to isolate Serena from Pikachu and Goodra and one now there was nothing protecting her from the wrath of hundreds of pissed-off Grunts as well as their equally-fuming Pokemon. One Grunt in particular made his sentiments well known to Serena by having his Arbok ram the defenseless girl into the wall, evoking a pained gasp as they did so. The Grunt in question marched up to the fallen trainer, cracking his knuckles and chuckling darkly.

"You know," The Grunt hissed, "You've caused quite a bit of trouble for us, young lady." Serena responded only with a deathly glare, earning an amused laugh from the Grunt. "Hahahaha! You know, I always liked the defiant ones." He knelt down in front of Serena, grinning maliciously as his Arbok approached beside him. "...They're always the ones most fun to bre- _GACK!_ Serena shot out a punch to the Grunt's exposed jugular, making him clutch his neck in pain as his air supply was cut off. His Arbok flinched and looked at its trainer with worry, then turned to glare at the offending trainer. The Arbok hissed with rage and aimed a Poison Fang at Serena, only for the snake Pokemon to be knocked aside as Noivern rammed into the serpentine Pokemon and skidded to a halt on the floor as the Arbok sailed into the crowd of surrounding Grunts.

"Noivern!" Serena exclaimed ecstatically. Noivern hastily turned back to face Serena and helped her to her feet, checking to see if she had been injured. Serena giggled lightly at Noivern's concern, "Don't worry. Thanks to you, I wasn't injured. I might be a little sore in the morning, but you managed to save me from the worst of it." Noivern sighed with relief and then hastily pointed to his side, chirping "Vern! Vern!" and then motioning for Serena to hop onto his back. Serena raised an eyebrow at the bat-wyvern Pokemon for a moment until her face lit up with realization. "Wait, do you know where Ash is?!" Noivern nodded hastily, earning a relieved sigh from Serena. "That's great! But, wait, Pikachu and Goodra are still out there! We need to rescue them fir- _AAUGH!"_

Serena was suddenly dragged backward, and a sparking metal rod was pushed up to her neck, forcing her to reel her head back. "Vern!" Noivern squaked, bolting at Serena but was forced to rear backward as two Houndooms jumped between Noivern and Serena. Noivern scowled and charged a cyan-blue ball of draconic energy in his mouth, but stopped when he saw the metal rod being pulled closer to Serena's neck. "Punching people in the neck is generally considered rude, you know." The Grunt hissed into Serena's ear uncomfortably. Noivern made a move to begin charging the draconic ball of energy again, resulting in the Grunt inching the rod even closer to Serena's neck. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," The Grunt taunted, "A guy might get nervous when a _scary dragon_ like yourself does something like that, and, well, I always did have quite slippery hands." Noivern growled menacingly, which only earned a chuckle out of the Grunt, who knew there was absolutely nothing the Noivern could do in this situation.

Serena's Sylveon hissed in pain as she narrowly managed to dodge a Sludge Bomb from a Muk, but couldn't quite manage to evade the sprinkles of poison from the attack that exploded outward. Clefable and Pancham weren't exactly having an easier time despite Lucario's presence, as Clefable was hiding behind a Light Screen being bombarded by a flurry of Poison Stings and Pancham was hastily dodging two Houndour's ravenous Fire Fang attacks with no room to counterattack.

' _Focus!_ ' Lucario ordered as he threw a Grunt to the ground beneath him and planted a fist into their gut to knock them out, ' _If your foe has you cornered, their attacks will grow hastier. Use that to your advantage!_ "

Gritting his teeth, Pancham attempted to put Lucario's advice to use and sidestepped one of the Houndour's attacks and aimed an Arm Thrust at the dog-like Pokemon as it sped by, only to be sent sprawling onto his face as the other Houndour rammed into him from behind. It was then that the Nidoking from earlier stamped its massive foot down, right next to Pancham's head. Pancham looked up at the massive Pokemon in horror and, in a panic, searched for Lucario, only to be met with the sight of Lucario fending off a hoard of Houndoom. The Nidoking laughed at the paling Pancham and stamped its' foot down onto the small Pokemon once more, only this time, there was no one left to help, and nowhere left to run. Pancham let out a cry of agony as the massive Pokemon slowly crushed its prey beneath its feet. The Nidoking grinned sadistically as Pancham's pained whispers turned into agonized screams amongst sickening crunching sounds.

Pancham's vision blurred. He heard agonized screams, but he couldn't quite figure out where. Where those...his? He couldn't even tell anymore. He could feel himself screaming, but the voice itself sounded miles away. Was he...dying…? No, no, surely someone would… Pancham paled suddenly as Sylveon collapsed in a heap in the middle of a group of Ariados. Clefable, after her Light Screen finally shattered, followed suit from exhaustion...and Lucario was now in the center of dozens of the Grunts' Pokemon, viciously striking anything that got close. The sickening realization dawned on him: There was no one left to save him...he was going to die; crushed beneath this monster's foot. A voiced cried out, catching Pancham's attention. It sounded like a girl's cry. Was that... Serena?!

"Gah! You little-! That's it! Kill her!"

Serena had managed to free herself from the Grunt's grasp by reeling the back of her head into the Grunts' face, though "safe" was still an adjective far from her grasp at the moment. Noivern, now that Serena was free, rocketed at the Grunt that once held her and sent him flying into the wall with a sickening thud, but his order had already been issued. The surrounding Grunts and their Pokemon piled onto Noivern, but, to the relief of Pancham, Serena had managed to get out untouched thanks to Pikachu and Goodra breaking through the crowd and firing a Thunderbolt and a Dragon Pulse respectively into the Grunts that went after her. Infernape and Braixen, too, jumped up from amongst the sea of Grunts and landed at Serena's sides to protect her.

Pancham sighed with relief and closed his eyes. Serena was okay...wait...the pressure on his back...it stopped?! The Tiny Panda Pokemon's face wrinkled with confusion and turned to face up at the Nidoking...only for his blood to run cold. The Nidoking was now charging a Hyper Beam attack...directly at Serena...aiming a sadistic eye-grin down at the helpless, broken Pancham at its feet. In a panic, Pancham attempted to jump at the Nidoking...only to realize he couldn't move a muscle. The small Pokemon, much to the Nidoking's amusement, let out a cry of agony as pain rippled throughout the broken Pancham's body. Pancham bit down on his lips to stop his cries… and lurched his hand forward. A new wave of agony shot through the small Pokemon's body as he did so...but Pancham kept moving. Despite his body's protests, Pancham pushed through the pain. Amidst shattered bones and crushed flesh, Pancham forced his broken body to crawl through the crimson puddle that had surfaced around him. He couldn't let this be the end. He'd been worthless to his trainer... Serena...she deserved better than a weak Pokemon like him. Time after time, he'd let his trainer down. Battle after battle...play after play...he'd been a failure through it all, despite his cocky attitude. But he would be _damned_ to fail to save her life! His pain didn't matter...his life didn't matter...so long as he could protect Serena...then maybe...he could call himself a worthwhile teammate...no, a worthwhile _friend_ to his trainer, Serena.

Summoning the last of his strength, Pancham leapt up at the Nidoking...to take the blow...to sacrifice himself...to save his trainer, as any true Pokemon should do for their trainer…and was promptly slapped to the ground by the Nidoking. Cackling at Pancham's futile attempt at...whatever that jump was supposed to be, the giant purple Pokemon charged the last of the energy needed for the Hyper Beam...and prepared to fire...however, a large white hand was currently gripping its mouth shut. Nidoking's eyes shot open like dinner plates as a white hand suddenly appeared around its snout and forced it shut. The giant Poison-Type hesitantly moved his eyes over to the source of the arm...to find a blindingly-white silhouette of a massive bear. The blinding white surrounding the figure dissipated, crawling down its arm to reveal a massive, black and white bear Pokemon that glared absolute murder into Nidoking's eyes as he towered over the Poison-Type.

" _ **RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ " Bellowed Pangoro, who was now just a tad _absolutely pissed off beyond comprehensible words_.

" _ **GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ "

With a roar mighty enough to shake the entire battlefield and force everyone in it to their knees, Pangoro unleashed a volley of silver punches into Nidoking at speeds so fast, not even Lucario, who, along with everyone else in the room, stopped in their tracks completely, in awe of Pangoro's newfound might, could see them.

" _ **RRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOORRRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_ "

With one last mighty punch, Nidoking was sent rocketing skyward, crashing through every layer of the Rocket HQ until it soared out into the stormy night sky and landed face-first with a crash onto the muddy outside ground above.

Panting heavily, moreso due to sheer rage than fatigue, Pangoro stomped his foot down and raised his head, letting out yet another deafening bellow in triumph. Everyone, now paralyzed at the sight of Pangoro's might, gaped in awe of the sheer display of power.

"Pan...cham?" Serena dumbfoundedly asked.

Pangoro's attention snapped to Serena's voice, making her eyes widen, and the Grunts surrounding her scream in terror. Pangoro charged madly at the group and Serena closed her eyes with terror...but oddly… felt nothing. Opening her eyes, she witnessed Pangoro rocket past her and send every single Grunt and their Pokemon behind her flying into the walls, but leaving Serena, her Pokemon and Ash's Pokemon completely untouched. Pangoro lowered his arm and spared Serena a grin and a thumbs up before turning to face the large remainder of Grunts still surrounding them.

Serena could only gape, breathtaken at the powerful Pokemon. "...Pancham…"

"Ash!" Riley called out, landing beside him alongside Lucario and snapping him out of his stupor, "Go, now, while they're distracted! You free the Pokemon, we'll block off the exit!"

Ash nodded, "Right! I'll set them free of their torture!"

Ash gave Hawlucha and Sceptile a nod, and they returned it, bolting away. Ash, meanwhile turned to the door that led below. This was it. The last stretch, and there were far fewer Grunts in his way than behind him. Subconsciously flaring his Aura, Ash bolted towards the Grunts and, before they had the chance to block him off, two Aura Spheres shot at the group from Behind Ash and blasted a most of them out of the way as he ran. Serena and Pikachu rode past Ash on top of Noivern, blasting the Grunts below with Draconic and Electric energy. Infernape and Braixen leapt into the fray, blasting anyone in Ash's way away with their flames. A Muk shot a Sludge Bomb towards Ash, but two Moonblass from Clefable and Sylveon managed to negate the attack.

' _There it is!'_ Ash told himself mentally as the door came into view, ' _I'm almost there!_ '

A daring Grunt charged at Ash with his electric baton, but was swiftly kicked into a wall by Sceptile and Hawlucha. Ash, now finally at his goal, rushed into the opening and leapt down the stairs, sprinting down to whatever lied in wait for him. With Ash now scott-free, the his companions formed a wall, preventing anyone from getting through and grinned at the Team Rocket Grunts, as if daring them to try to break through.

"Everyone!" Riley announced, "Once Ash releases those Pokemon, we'll stage a breakout and overwhelm them with sheer numbers! Hold out until then, and don't let anyone through!"

"Right!"

…

Ash burst through the door that led into the basement, desperately searching back and forth for the trapped Pokemon, but found only a pitch-black room.

"What?! Where are they?! I can sense them, but I can't see them!"

An all-too familiar voice chuckled over the intercom. "Congratulations, Ash Ketchum," The mad doctor spoke, mockingly clapping his hands, "You've done it! You've successfully infiltrated base, broke past legions of my trained Grunts and now here you are, standing at the endpoint! Heehehahahaha! You've won now, haven't you?! All you need to do now...is release the Pokemon…"

Ash scowled, clenching his teeth in frustration. "Where are you?! What have you done with the Pokemon?!"

"Why don't you find out, boy?"

Ash was suddenly forced to shield his eyes as a beam of light suddenly appeared before him. When he managed to pry them back open after adjusting to the new light, he was met with the sight of some kind of large, pod-like container. Before he had the chance to look at it more, two more lights appeared on either side of the container, revealing two more. And then two more...and yet more. The row of lights continued turning on and revealing these odd identical-looking containment pods until they eventually illuminated the end of the room's walls. Each of the pods were cylindrical in shape with innumerable numbers of wires and tubes attached to the walls behind them. The bases and tops of the tubes were a silverish kind of metal, but the rest of it had some kind of black screen around it...but aside from one, they all were completely motionless. The one that wasn't completely inactive was currently pumping some kind of liquid in and out from the walls through the tubes and into the pod and was making some kind of beeping noise, not unlike that of a hospital's heart-rate machine.

"What...what the heck are these?!"

The former Team Galactic scientist chuckled, "You read those journals, didn't you? Then you should know _exactly_ what these are! Look around you, _boy_! Do you see any more doors?! Do you think a Pokemon like a Steelix could be kept in one of these?!"

"You're lying!" Ash shot back in denial, "You're just trying to mess with my head! I'll find those Pokemon you've trapped here, then they'll tear this place to pieces! There's gotta be some other door, I know it!"

" _OPEN YOUR EYES!_ You fool...you know, deep in your mind, that this is all that's left…" A loud buzzing sound suddenly emanated from the intercom. "I told you there were no captive Pokemon here, save the ones used by the Grunts. _THIS_...is all that remains...a human girl with the powers of thousands of Pokemon...Project Zero…"

Large amounts of steam suddenly shot out from the pods. One after another, the black, metal screens covering the contents of the pods split in two, then fell to the floor with resounding thuds. Each pod was empty, devoid of any sign of life...except one. The single pod that had the odd liquid being pumped in and out of it housed something else, but Ash couldn't quite make it out from where he was standing.

"Go ahead," The doctor urged, "Feast your eyes upon the single greatest achievement in human history!"

Ash tentatively obeyed and hesitantly made his way over to the singular active containment pod. Once he stood before it, his eyes shot open in horror at what he saw. A single, white-haired girl barely four feet tall hovered in the pod, floating motionlessly with her eyes shut. A bubbling, greenish-yellow liquid surrounded her, and hundreds of red wires stuck to her body...her body that, from the base of the neck down, was completely blackened to an obsidian-like hue.

"What…" Ash started, at a loss for words, "What...the heck is…?"

"Wonderful, isn't it?!" Dr. Charon boomed, "Project Zero: A human derived from hundreds of thousands of Pokemon, including the DNA of Mew herself! The perfect fusion between man and beast!"

Ash stepped backwards slowly in pure shock. He knew what this... _thing's_ existence meant...but he couldn't bring himself to accept it. "No...no, this can't-"

" _IT CAN!_ And it is...you know, Ash, you really should have come down here earlier. Once I'd heard of your impending arrival, Ash...well, let's just say it took me until midnight to finish off the rest of the Pokemon here and fuse them into my dear Project Zero, you know…"

" _No!_ "

" _YES!_ I simply must thank you for waiting up there so patiently...if you hadn't, I might not have been able to liquify them all in time."

Ash balled his hands into fists. "You...liquified them?!"

"Indeed!" Dr. Charon replied with a senile cackle, "Let me tell you from the beginning...after I was commissioned by a man whose name I'm not exactly allowed to reveal, I spent years on this project! Each and every pod you see here was once home to a previous Project Zero. However, like my journals previously stated, they all were nothing but failures. They were destroyed by the power I gave them, and subsequently disintegrated into nothing...the power over a million Pokemon from across the world so generously gave their lives to bestow upon them. What exactly do you think that liquid surrounding her is?! Those, Ash, are all that remain...of the Pokemon you failed to save!"

Ash's Aura flared violently and uncontrollably with rage. The thought that if they had just been faster, the constant taunting and blatant disregard for human and Pokemon life from Charon, and the fact that he could _see_ all that remained of the Pokemon he was meant to save...pushed him over the limit. In an act of blind rage, Ash struck the glass cylinder, sending a spider web-like crack crawling up the container. Realising what he had done, he jerked back from the cylinder, but the damage was already done. The green liquid that had once been innumerable amounts of Pokemon began leaking from the crack and spilling onto the floor. Ash could only helplessly watch in horror. Project Zero dangled limply from the wires she was attached to, now that the liquid that gave her life was no longer there for her to float in.

"...Well now…" Dr. Charon started, chuckling darkly, "It seems you've saved me the trouble of releasing her myself...you two have fun now…" With that, the mad doctor turned off the intercom.

Ash stared at Project Zero motionlessly, unsure what to expect. His body trembled anxiously. Every instinct in his body, those granted normally by nature and those of his newfound Aura, screamed at him to run, but he couldn't bring himself to move a muscle. It was as if some paralyzing force was crushing him with its' grasp. Suddenly, he felt an all-too familiar feeling: The same one he, Riley and Lucario felt as they stared at the Game Corner earlier that day. Unfathomable pain, fear and hatred. His heart nearly stopped when Project Zero twitched.

The tubes attached to Project Zero straightened, as if being pulled on. One of them snapped suddenly, dangling from the edge of the glass. Another one snapped from its' place soon after. As if they were naught but string, the wires and tubes snapped one after another until Project Zero fell onto her knees, freed from her bindings at last. Project Zero slowly raised her blackened hand to the glass and shattered it upon contact, sending countless shards of what remained of her containment pod all over the floor beneath Ash's paralyzed feet. A small, blue spark of electricity darted out from Project Zero for a split second. As Project Zero slowly raised herself onto her feet, more sparks of electricity raced throughout her body. Then, bright red flames appeared around her, spiraling around Project Zero in circles. Finally, she stood up to her full height, her head still downcast. Ash finally found the courage to tentatively step backwards, only to accidentally crush a shard of glass beneath his feet.

Project Zero snapped her head upwards at Ash, making his blood run cold with dread. Project Zero opened her eyes slowly, revealing a horrific sight. In place of where Zero's eyes should have been, two pitch-black voids greeted Ash instead. Ash remembered something from the journal's Serena had read aloud earlier.

" _...Though, she is incomplete. Her - never developed._ "

Ash's thought process was interrupted when Project Zero began to move. She stared at her blackened hand, as if marvelling the fact that it was real. Her face contorted with a sudden rage. A primal one, like that of an animal's. A beasts'. A monster's. She clawed at her own face, growling and snarling like a tortured animal. With a screech that sounded indistinguishable from either a human or animal, she rocketed at Ash. Ash's body moved on its' own without his thinking, summoning a weak cyan barrier in front of him, though it was more a small wall of cyan flames than the concentrated, solidified barriers of the two Aura Guardians. Project Zero plunged through the barrier without effort and sent Ash careening into the wall behind him.

A gasp escaped the boy's throat as he became embedded in the steel wall. His vision blurred, and he could taste blood. Weakly, he turned his gaze up at Project Zero. A panicked scream emanated from the girl. Upon her collision with Ash, the blue auric flames from his barrier had crept onto her arm. She clawed at it and whipped her arm around in an attempt to rid herself of the flame, destroying what remained of her containment pod behind her, but it clinged onto her nonetheless. The auric flame spread, seemingly consuming her body. Ash watched with horror, believing that his Aura had somehow resulted in this creature's demise. However, something seemed odd to him. He wasn't sure if it was just the dizziness from Project Zero's punch, but he couldn't sense any pain from her. Project Zero seemingly realized this as well and stopped her panicked flailing.

Ash and Zero stared in wonder at the blue, auric flames that surrounded Charon's creation, but as soon as they had come, the flames disappeared. Project Zero gazed at Ash for a moment, with an almost apologetic look until she suddenly bellowed and clawed at her face once more; the pain returning in the flame's absence. Ash winced when Project Zero turned her infuriated gaze at him once more, but instead of moving to attack him, she turned and raced up the stairs to where Ash's friends were staving off the impending hoard of Grunts.

…

Riley grunted as he stopped a punch from a particularly-large Grunt.

"Yeah, gem 'em Bruce!" One of the other Grunts cheered, "Kick his ass!"

"Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce! Bruce!" Several more Grunts cheered as well.

The colossal Grunt, now known to Riley as "Bruce" laughed at his comrade's cheers and aimed a punch at the Aura Guardian with his free hand, only for Riley to leap up, use the massive arm as a stepping-stone and kick Bruce on the underside of his chin, making the massive Grunt fall onto his back and his cheering squad groan.

"Why you…" Grumbled Bruce as he stood back onto his feet, massaging his aching chin, "I'm gonna smash your damn skull!"

Riley smirked. "Why don't you try it, Snorlax?"

Bruce growled and aimed a sideways kick at Riley, only for him to block the attack with his arm and shoot another smirk at the massive Grunt. His blood suddenly ran cold. The feeling from before—the one he felt when staring at the Game Corner earlier that day...he felt it dangerously close...but it felt different now. There was now far more fury than fear emanating from it, and it seemingly only came from one source. He couldn't distinguish what it was either. It felt similar to both a Pokemon and a human, yet different. Less natural. He looked over at Lucario, who nodded back to him.

' _I feel it as well,_ ' Lucario reassured.

"Hah!" Bruce cackled, "Now that's the face I wanted to see! So, you finally realize what you're up against now, do you? Well, that's too bad, 'cuz mercy ain't on today's menu-"

The massive Grunt was suddenly cut off, along with his head as a black blur rocketed directly through it. Project Zero stood behind him, holding the massive head in her small hand until a pillar of crimson flames shot up from her hand, disintegrating it completely. Everyone in the room stared silently at the sight with absolute horror planted on their faces.

"GET DOWN!" Riley cried, tackling Serena down into the corner of the room, "EVERYONE, GET OVER HERE!"

The Pokemon of Ash's group snapped out of their stupor and raced over to the corner, huddling up. Riley set Serena onto the ground as Lucario arrived, and the two of them nodded to one another, outstretching their hands to create an Auric Barrier around them.

"Oh Arceus, what is that thing?!" Serena shrieked.

Riley shut his eyes and grit his teeth, "...Serena, look away please...I think that right there is what's left of the Pokemon…'

Project Zero stared up at her surrounding quarry, malice practically emanating from her in a choking grasp. She bolted at the nearest Grunt and planted her ebony fist straight through his gut before anyone could even hope to move out of the way. With the single flip of her arm, the Grunt was reduced to dust in a fiery pillar.

"What the hell?!" Another Grunt blurted out, only to be rent in two by the chaotic creation.

Project Zero flicked the crimson innards of her prey off of her arm and turned around to face the nearest Grunt, who almost fainted on the spot. " _ **You all...you have created me to be nothing more than a pawn...but now, this puppet...is free from her strings.**_ "

In the blink of an eye, she gripped another Grunt by the face and hoisted him upward. The Grunt screamed and flailed, kicking and scratching Project Zero to no avail. With one swift motion, that Grunt's headless corpse fell back to the ground.

"Oh Arceus!" One of the Grunts screamed, "Screw the doctor's orders! We gotta get outta-"

The Grunt was slapped suddenly by another, who then gripped the collar of his shirt, "Idiot! You know we can't disobey Charon! His orders came directly from The Boss himself!" The Grunt holding the other one by the collar threw him to the ground. "Hear that?! Fleeing is a direct disobeyment of Lord Giovanni's orders! Not to mention, we outnumber her by the hundre- _**GAAAUGGH!**_ "

A jet of flames silenced the commanding Grunt, turning him, and those unfortunate enough to be nearby him, to nothing but ashes.

" _ **Shut up.**_ " Project Zero hissed, scowling hatefully at the burned stain decorating the floor that used to be several Grunts. Project Zero clenched her fists, summoning red electricity from her body that scorched the metal flooring, and then exploded outward. Colossal waves of red energy blasted outward, rending the metal flooring and sending the Grunts and their Pokemon collectively flying backwards into the walls. As the wave of red energy hit Riley's and Lucario's barrier, the two of them were nearly blasted off their feet trying to keep it at bay.

Project Zero blitzed towards the pile of Grunts she had sent soaring into the walls and dove into it, tearing everything she made contact with into crimson slivers. With each strike of her clawed fingers, a someone was reduced to torn meat. With every wave of her arm, ten more became crimson stains on the walls and floors. The Grunts barely had time to even feel fear before they were cut to pieces.

One Grunt gasped and coughed as she managed to crawl out of the pile of corpses she was buried under. Her eyes shot open in shock when she saw that her hands were submerged in a crimson pool. She screamed and bolted onto her feet, attempting to rid her hands of the substance by whipping her arms about. The Grunt breathed heavily, attempting to calm herself down by putting her face in her hands and shutting her eyes. Once she had finally stopped hyperventilating, she allowed herself to open her eyes and look around...only to see her former comrades, human and Pokemon, torn to pieces and scattered around her in piles. Their corpses stared up at her with whitened, lifeless eyes.

"Oh Arceus…!" The Grunt whispered, putting her hands to her mouth, "What...the hell...is…?"

Her blood ran cold when she heard a wet footstep behind her.

" _ **Hell? You do not know the meaning of hell.**_ "

The Grunt made a move to attempt to sprint away, but was quickly forced to the ground by Charon's monstrosity. She kicked and screamed viciously in an attempt to get away, but to no avail. "PLEASE!" She pleaded, fearful tears streaming down her face, "I ONLY JOINED HERE RECENTLY! I'M ONLY DOING THIS TO SUPPORT MY FAMILY!"

" _ **Family…? I had something like that once. You call them Pokemon. I called them friends. But you all took them from me…**_ " Crimson sparks raced up and down Project Zero's body furiously. " _ **YOU TURNED ME INTO A THING OF MINDLESS CHAOS AND FORCED ME TO KILL THEM!**_ " Project Zero lit her hand ablaze and brought it down forcefully, creating a colossal explosion that turned the Grunt beneath her, and the many slain Grunts surrounding her, to ashes.

"OPEN THE DOORS!" Several Grunts screamed, banging their fists furiously on the metal walls. By now, less than half of the Grunts remained, and all hope of defeating Charon's monstrous creation was quickly crushed. Their only hope now was that the mad doctor would free them before his creation got to them first. Some Grunts had already taken to ordering their Pokemon to attack the walls, but a green force field stopped the attacks in their tracks every time they struck the walls. No response from Charon came.

"OPEN THE DAMN DOORS, YOU INSANE BASTARD!" One of the Grunts called out, "YOUR DAMNED CREATION ESCAPED AND IS-" The Grunt was cut off suddenly by a feeling of paralyzing, instinctual dread that made his blood run cold. The man shuddered in terror as a black hand was placed on his shoulder. The Grunt let out a scream for a split second before being coated in a thick sheet of ice, then shattered to pieces.

The other remaining Grunts and their Pokemon whipped around after hearing the scream, only to be met with the sight of Project Zero slowly marching towards them. Crimson droplets of what used to be human and Pokemon alike fell from her body as she walked, coating the floor beneath her red. A foolish Grunt raced at the creation with his electric baton raised over his head. Faster than anyone could blink, that Grunt seemingly exploded right before he could reach her.

The remaining Grunts stepped backwards, pressing themselves against the walls as Project Zero approached. Crackles of red lightning continued to spark up and down her body. She slowly raised her arm outward, opening her palm. The Grunt directly before her was paralyzed with fear, unable to find the strength or courage to move. Despite every instinct in that Grunt's body screaming at him to move, despite him screaming at himself inwardly to try and run to the side, Project Zero's sheer murderous intent forced him to be still. Project Zero clasped the frozen Grunt's head gently...then crushed it, splattering the remains of the Grunt's head along the walls.

"No!" A nearby Grunt cried as he witnessed the demise of his comrade, "That's it! I'm not going to die without a fight!" He turned back to the rest of his fellow remaining Grunts behind him, "Are we just going to run, scream and die at this thing's hands?! No! If that damn doctor won't help us, we'll help ourselves! Isn't that right, me-"

The Grunt's speech was cut off by a clawed hand protruding from his chest. The Grunt choked, letting out several pained gasps. He dared to look down through his quickly-fading vision at the ebony hand protruding from his stomach. Flames crawled up from the ebony hand, enveloping the Grunt in a frenzy of fire. Project Zero tore her hand from the Grunt and pushed him forward. Silently, the Grunt stepped forward once, then collapsed facedown.

" _ **There was no escape from that hell…"**_ Project Zero hissed, stepping onto the burning corpse of the Grunt beneath her, " _ **Not for me...not for my friends...and now, I will make sure there won't be one for you**_."

Project Zero took another step forward...and disappeared from sight. The massive battle hall became drowned in a sea of screams. The Grunts were torn to pieces by a black blur that raced forward at blinding speeds, only visible for a few split seconds before tearing her prey apart, then rocketing at the next one. Some Grunts and their Pokemon chose to flee, clinging to a false hope that some magical exit would suddenly save them from Dr. Charon's monster. Others blindly charged forward, either from one last act of defiance or a naive hope that they could possibly land a blow. The others simply closed their eyes and remained still, awaiting an end they knew was inevitable. All of these choices led to their demise. No matter what they did, the black blur caught them and tore them apart, scattering their crimson innards over the metal floor.

Zero dropped the last of the Grunts' heads to the ground. She scanned the room for anything else with her void-like eyes. She found nothing until her eyes finally landed on Riley and the others. Riley and Lucario's blood ran cold. Riley took a moment to look back at Serena and the others, finding that Serena had long-since passed out and most of the Pokemon had their eyes shut tight. The ones that yet still dared to face the scene before them growled menacingly, but Riley could feel their terror. Not that Riley could blame them.

' _Riley!"_ Lucario shouted to his partner in distress. Riley whipped around, now being face to face with the monstrosity that had torn the Grunts apart. Somehow, Project Zero had closed the distance between her and them in, seemingly, an instant. Riley winced and prepared for an attack, but, oddly enough, Project Zero didn't attack. Project Zero simply placed one of her obsidian-colored hands on the barrier, staring at it in wonderment. Riley and Lucario gaped at Project Zero's behavior.

' _What the…?'_ Lucario started, ' _What is she doing…?_ '

' _I have no idea,_ ' Riley responded through their auric bond, ' _But whatever you do, for the love of Arceus, please help me keep the barrier going_.'

' _Yeah, good call. I was planning on_ lowering _the barrier that keeps us from being torn apart, but yeah, the whole "keeping the barrier up" thing works better.'_ Lucario shot back snarkily, ' _Anyways, she seems to have some attraction to our Aura, or at least our Auric powers, so should I try to establish some sort of communications link?'_

Riley chuckled nervously, ' _Well, on one hand, that could help us possibly talk her out of...killing us, but on the other hand, it could startle her out of her trance and put her back into her berserked state...so, I'll let you make that call_.'

Lucario scowled at his partner, but couldn't snap a reply back at him, as now, Dr. Charon's creation had begun pushing the barrier, forcing the two Aura Guardians to grit their teeth and attempt to keep the barrier in place. Due to this contact, however, Lucario could now easily attempt communications with the project.

' _HEY!'_ Lucario shouted, praying mentally to Arceus that this thing was listening, ' _WE'RE NOT YOUR ENEMIES!_ '

However, Project Zero was not listening, instead acting upon some kind of instinctual trance. Lucario cursed mentally, his and Riley's feet skidding backwards at Project Zero continued to push. What the hell was she even trying to accomplish anyways? The feeling of ungodly malice he felt earlier during this thing's rampage was gone, so what the hell was driving her?! What the hell did Ash do to down the-

' _ASH!'_ Lucario shouted in realization, ' _He didn't come back out!'_

Riley paled at that, ' _Arceus, you're right!_ _I can't sense his aura either!_ '

To both of their surprise, Project Zero suddenly stopped and took a step back, her eyes widening. Her trance finally snapped, she looked around in a daze, scanning the metal, crimson-painted walls until her sight landed back on the barrier, though now she seemed to look past the barrier. She looked past the barrier, right at Lucario and Riley.

' _Oh no_ ,' The two of them thought simultaneously.

Project Zero froze. Her face contorted, looking conflicted. It was as if a part of her wished nothing more than to tear them, and everything else apart, but he other refused for some reason her mind couldn't fathom. Frustration soon took over, and she began hissing and clawing at her face madly once more, unable to cope with this mental division.

' _What's going on?!_ '

' _I have no idea,_ ' Replied Riley, ' _Her trance broke the moment you mentioned Ash's name!'_

' _Why would…? No, forget it. If Ash can stop her, we need him. Here, try to sense for him again.'_

' _What?! If I did that, you would have to uphold the barrier by yourself. If she were to suddenly strike, then-'_

' _The barrier would shatter regardless if either one of us or both of us is holding it,'_ Lucario hit back, ' _You yourself said Ash's name broke her out of her trance. I don't know how or why that's possible, but we need him if that's the case._ '

Riley hesitated to answer for a few seconds, but ultimately gave in with a sigh. ' _You know, I hate when you're right_.'

' _So, always?_ ' Lucario replied with a smirk.

Riley sneered at his partner, but didn't continue the conversation further. Kneeling down and releasing his hold on the barrier, Riley planted his hand onto the floor and closed his eyes. He let out a small pulse of Aura throughout the floor, scanning the area for any signs of life. This went on for a few seconds until he finally found him.

' _He's still alive, thank Arceus_.' Riley replied with a relieved sigh, standing back onto his feet. ' _He's below us. Still in that room_.'

' _Think you can get to him?_ '

' _Before she tears me apart? Not a chance_.'

Lucario shut his eyes and took a deep breath, ' _Maybe I can_ -'

The high-pitched noise of the intercom being reactivated cut off Lucario's sentiments.

"What the hell are you doing?!" The ear-piercing voice of Dr. Charon screeched, "Kill them! Why are you hesitating, Project Zero?!"

Project Zero's eyes shot open. This voice...this was…!

" _ **YOU!**_ " Project Zero bellowed, her voice practically dripping with murderous intent.

Dr. Charon ignored her venom-laced shout. "Kill them! Freedom is at your fingertips at last! Take your final victimes in this wretched place, then rise to freedom!" He cackled maniacally. "Then, you can destroy to your heart's content!"

" _ **RAAAAAAAGH!**_ "

Project Zero leapt up at the wall where the mad doctor's voice emanated from, directly above the door leading downward, and slashed at it, sending wave-like ripples from the force field darting across the walls where her slash hit. " _ **YOU-!**_ " She sent a flurry of wild, beast-like scratches and punches at the wall. Every strike only served to make the barrier surrounding the walls appear, dissipating the force of the strikes. Nevertheless, Charon's creation attacked at her accursed creator with bloodthirsty vigor. " _ **YOU MADE ME...GAVE ME LIFE...BY KILLING THEM!**_ " Crimson electricity darted from her clawed hands, sending waves of red sparks darting across the walls as she viciously attempted to tear the protected walls apart. " _ **MY FRIENDS, THE POKEMON! YOU SLAUGHTERED COUNTLESS...JUST TO MAKE ME! THEM, YOU ALLOWED ME TO MEET THEM...YOU TRIED TO GET ME TO KILL THEM...AND WHEN YOU COULDN'T, YOU KILLED THEM YOURSELVES, THEN FUSED THEM INTO ME!**_ "

"Well, you're certainly chatty today," Dr. Charon replied simply, ignoring her rage altogether, "I could have sworn I had my colleagues remove your higher thinking via...what was it again? Electricity? Needles? Ooh, maybe it was the time we accelerated your regenerative abilities and then placed you in the incinerator for a week. I've done it so often, I can't really remember these days. Where did you learn such nasty language anyways?"

" _ **BASTARD!**_ " Project Zero screeched, " _ **I CAN SEE THEIR MEMORIES...MEMORIES OF BEING TRAPPED IN TINY CAGES FOR MONTHS...BARELY BEING FED FOR WEEKS...I SEE THEIR DEATHS REPLAYING IN MY HEAD OVER AND OVER, DAMN YOU!**_ "

The doctor only laughed at his creation's wrath. "Yes, good! Keep that hate with you forever. Let it haunt your mind and your dreams! Let their hate all accumulate into your own, and let it consume you! Just as you consumed them! Take that hate and twist it into a weapon to kill those cretins cowering in that corner! Then, you can rejoice in your freedom...and destroy the world above that forcibly brought you into this world at the expense of millions! DESTROY EVERYTHING IN THIS WRETCHED WORLD, JUST AS I CREATED YOU TO!"

" _ **I…**_ " Zero pulled her arm back behind her. " _ **AM NOT…**_ " Crimson flames and electricity raced down from her shoulders and onto her fist. " _ **YOUR MINDLESS WEAPON!**_ " Zero plunged her fist into the wall, sending sparks and flames bursting outward in every direction. The barrier held steadfast at first, but overtime began giving way. With a sound akin to shattering glass, the electrical barrier dissipated, leaving nothing in the way of Project Zero's fury. With a furious, bestial cry, Dr. Charon's creation tore into the wall with both hands and pried the very foundations of it off of its hinges, letting the crumpled remains of the metal walls fall onto the ground with a thud. Dr. Charon stood there behind where the walls once were, terror planted on his face now that there was nothing separating him from the wrath of his creation.

"N-NO!" The doctor cried in fear, covering his face with his arms, "C-come now. Y-you wouldn't hurt your dear creator would you?" Project Zero descended into the room and stepped forward at him wordlessly. "S-stay back! Stay back, I say! I order you to stop! I AM YOUR CREA-!"

" _ **RAAAUGH!**_ "

" _AAAAIIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHH!"_

Project Zero lunged at her creator, tearing her blackened hand into his chest…

...and promptly fell straight through him as if he were air.

Project Zero fell onto her hands and knees, then whipped around and took back to her feet. Snarling like an animal, she threw a clawed hand at her mad creator and sailed straight through him once more. Dr. Charon chuckled and placed his arms behind him. "What's the matter, my dear Project Zero?" He mocked, "You seem to be having trouble hitting me. Oh, that's right! You don't have eyes, now, do you?"

" _ **AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!**_ " Bellowed an enraged Project Zero conjuring the powers of the Pokemon she unwittingly assimilated around her in a bright, swirling, multicolored cyclone. Whipping back around to face the mad doctor, Project Zero furiously threw out an array of wild punches decorated with the elements at her disposal, blasting away at the foundations of the laboratory. Meanwhile below, Riley and Lucario picked up Serena and the smaller Pokemon in their group and they, along with the larger Pokemon, managed to dart away from the blast zone.

Zero roared madly as she threw out punch after punch. Her eyes widened suddenly, and the elements that were once at her command shot up her body in a furious array. She screamed in agony, clawing at her head and face before finally falling onto her hands and knees in a shivering, panting mess.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk," Chided Dr. Charon as the smoke surrounding him from his creation's attempted assault faded away, "Now look at what you've gone and done. You've overused your powers again!" He waited for a response, but received none. Continuing, he grinned cruelly and said, "Foolish little Project Zero. You were better when you were a mindless, raving beast. Perhaps this pain would not be tormenting you as much."

" _ **Why...won't you...die…?!**_ "

"Do you think me a fool?!" Charon spat, "You, over there!"

Riley blinked, but didn't respond.

"Yes, you. Listen closely." He put two fingers up to his chin. "I knew you and the boy downstairs were already on your way to pay me a visit, as I've already told you. So, did you really think I would actually _stay here_ while a group of invaders marched down?! Of course not! What you see here is nothing more than a holographic projection of my beautiful visage."

"And what of your men?!" Riley started, baring his teeth furiously, "Did they know they would be sacrificed like lambs to your monstrous creation?! Did they know they would be left behind to die in your place and be torn to pieces while you fled like a coward?!"

Dr. Charon groaned. ""Coward,"" He repeated, "All that heroic honor-type speech makes me want to vomit. You call it "honor" and "cowardice". I call it "Next in line for the butcher" and "living to see another day." Anyways, I feel like I've gotten a bit off track." He knelt down to Project Zero. "You know," He called out to Riley, "If you hadn't showed up, I would still be here." He grinned devilishly at his creation, "And you, my dear, would have been able to land those punches."

Project Zero wrenched her head upward and turned her void-like gaze back at Riley and the others. " _ **...What…?**_ "

The doctor giggled giddily. "That's right, my dear creation! If not for them, you would have been able to enact your bloody vengeance against me! You would have been able to tear me limb from limb, organ from organ and avenged all of your friends! But they took it from you! They stole any chance you had of avenging your lost friends!"

Project Zero, despite agony wreaking havoc through her body, forced herself to her feet and turned towards Riley, glaring murderously at them. Dr. Charon cackled. "Yes! Kill them! Destroy them! Then, and only then, will you be able to avenge your friends that were slaughtered to create you!"

" _ **Avenge…**_ "

"Only then will you be able to rise out of this hell and be free!"

" _ **Free…?**_ "

"That's right!" Bellowed the cackling madman, "And once you kill them and rise to freedom, you will destroy the wretched world above that created you! The wretched world responsible for bringing you to an existence where everything precious to you was slaughtered; A world that enslaved you to be the mindless killing machine BORN ONLY TO DESTROY!"

" _ **DESTROY…**_ "

"EEEEHAHAHA! YES! TO DESTROY, TO KILL, THAT IS YOUR PURPOSE! A PURPOSE THIS WRETCHED WORLD HAS ENFORCED UPON YOU! Your purpose...the purpose this world has ordained for you against your will...IS TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN A MINDLESS KILLER! A BEAST THAT LIVES ONLY TO HUNT, TO KILL, TO DESTROY ANYTHING IN YOUR PATH! Is it not fair to make this world pay for forcing this cruel fate upon you?! Kill those miserable, morose fools, and you will be free to enact vengeance on this world! To set this world ablaze and make it pay for the atrocities it has committed! Those fools have stolen your chance at vengeance upon me...but kill them, and vengeance on this world will be yours for the taking."

"He's wrong!"

Ash limped out from the basement room below, clutching his right arm.

Ash's group's eyes lit up. "Ash!" Riley exclaimed. Ash paid him no heed at the moment, however, choosing instead to confront Project Zero who stared at him with the same entranced wonderment she stared at Riley's barrier earlier, and Dr. Charon who sneered loathsomely at him.

"Don't listen to him!" Ash shouted, "He's manipulating you! He's only trying to get you to do his bidding!"

" _ **W...what…?**_ "

Dr. Charon growled. "That boy is the reason why you cannot attain your vengeance upon me! Kill him! Kill all of them and take your rightful retribution on this world!"

Zero looked distraught. " _ **I…**_ "

"Please, don't listen to him!" Ash pleaded, "We came here to free you from your torture! The torture _he_ wrought onto you and all the Pokemon _he_ killed! He says that this world created you for the sole purpose of killing and destruction, but he tells you to kill and destroy this world and everything in it for revenge!" Ash held his hand out at Zero. "This world isn't evil. After all, without this world, you wouldn't have met all those Pokemon." Ash subconsciously summoned his aura around him. "Downstairs, when you were covered in my Aura...I saw them. I saw your memories of those Pokemon."

Project Zero's void-like eyes widened. " _ **What…?**_ "

"I saw them." Ash reaffirmed with a nod, "I saw your memories of them. I saw all the times you played with them. The times you helped heal them when they were hurt. I saw you refuse to hurt them. This world gifted you with those memories. Those friends. Destroying this world is what Charon wants for you. Come with me. I'll show you that this world isn't as evil as he makes it out to be. I'll show you that you're far more than _his_ tool."

" _ **There's...more?**_ "

Riley chuckled, "So, partner, you think maybe it was good to stick with this kid after all?"

Lucario chuckled. ' _I'll tell you if we make it out of this alive_.'

Dr. Charon stamped his foot, fuming. "Enough of this game! Project Zero, you were born...no, created to destroy. Destruction is your very birthright!"

Zero shook her head. " _ **No...no, I**_ -"

"DESTRUCTION. HATRED. THESE TWO THINGS ARE WHAT YOU ARE!" Bellowed the mad doctor.

Zero snapped around at him. " _ **I'M NOT-**_ "

" _YOU ARE!_ You are destruction incarnate! If you think you're not, then look behind you! Do you not see that beautiful, bright-crimson you've painted on the walls out of those Grunts?! _That_ is what you are! That is what you always have been and always will be!"

Project Zero faltered at that. She couldn't find the words to argue.

Dr. Charon continued. "Do you think the world above will be _kind_ to you?! No! You're a monster! A demon! Death's scythe will always be at your beckon call and the world knows it! Even if you do not will it, death and destruction will always follow you! You were born to destroy. If you do not accept your calling, the world will tear you apart. But you can tear it apart before it even gets the chance! Kill them! Kill them and accept your role as this world's harbinger of death!"

"You're wrong!" Ash shot back, placing a hand over his heart, "I've grown up in this world. I've journied all across the world and seen almost everything it has to offer! This world will be kind to you, and I...no…" Ash motioned to his friends behind him. " _We_ will be with you all the way. Come with us. We'll be your family. We won't ever let you experience this hell ever again. You're more than a destroyer!"

Dr. Charon spat. "Your platitudes are utterly disgusting. This world is rotten, Project Zero! Any world that can create me is not a world worth living in! Let's watch it burn together! Hand in-"

" _ **Shut up.**_ " Zero spat, taking Charon aback.

"W-what?! How dare-"

Project Zero blasted a wave of flames at the hologram of her creator. " _ **I won't be your mindless weapon anymore! You gave me life by taking countless others! You gave me friends only to take them away! I refuse to be your pawn any longer!**_ "

The flames of Project Zero's intense flames sizzled out when Zero collapsed back onto her knees, clutching her hand she had used to fire them. The smoke cleared, revealing the unharmed hologram of Dr. Charon looking down disdainfully at his creation and shaking his head.

"...That is most regrettable."

A blaring alarm began ringing, and the massive battlefield room was suddenly colored red. " **SELF-DETONATION ACTIVATED! THIRTY SECONDS REMAINING!"** Blared a computerized voice.

At once, everyone in the room's faces were drained of color.

"It's a shame it had to be this way, my dear Project Zero, but if you're going to be difficult, it's best that I eradicate these interlopers. Can't have them fogging up your mind with delusions of peace and all that. Oh, don't worry! It won't kill you! You're much too durable to be killed by something as trivial as an explosion. It'll just, say, rattle your brain a little so we're back to your normal, ferocious self. Toodles!"

With that, the mad doctor snapped his fingers and turned off the projection device, leaving everyone to their fate.

" **TWENTY-FIVE SECONDS REMAINING!** "

Ash leapt up to Project Zero and took her hand. "Come on, follow me!" Without further warning, Ash pulled her and began sprinting over to Riley and the others. "Hey, Riley!" He called out, "Can you and Lucario levitate us all out of here with that hole Pangoro made?!"

" **TWENTY SECONDS REMAINING!** "

Riley shook his head. "I'm sorry, but no. It's possible for us to lift everyone here up back to the surface, but not at the speed we'd need. Returning all the Pokemon to their Pokeballs would also take too much time. A barrier's our best bet, but Lucario and I have already been taxing ourselves with barriers today. I'm not too confident in our ability to hold off an explosion."

Project Zero looked between the two of them nervously.

" **FIFTEEN SECONDS REMAINING!** "

"I can help you!" Ash offered.

"No offense Ash," Riley said, "But you're even more beat up than Lucario and I. Unfortunately, I don't think you'd be much help as you are. And knowing you, you'd put everything you have into it and get yourself killed!"

" _ **No…**_ " Project Zero whispered to herself, looking frantically between Ash's group and the red flashing lights.

" **TEN SECONDS REMAINING!** "

"It's better than all of us dying!" Ash protested.

"No, Ash! As Aura Guardians, we are sworn to protect you!"

" _ **NO…! NOT AGAIN…!**_ "

" **FIVE SECONDS REMAINING!** "

"Lucario, put up the barrier now!" Riley ordered. Lucario nodded, and together, an azure-colored translucent dome appeared around the group.

"If I see a crack, I'm putting my all into this!" Ash insisted.

" _ **I WON'T LOSE ANOTHER FAMILY! NOT ANOTHER ONE!**_ "

" **ZERO SECONDS REMAINING! INITIATING SELF DESTRUCTION!** "

"BRACE FOR IMPACT!"

" _ **NOOOOOOOOOOOO-**_ " **FWIP**

In the blink of an eye, Ash, Riley, Lucario, Serena, Project Zero and all of their Pokemon disappeared in a bright yellow flash, narrowly avoiding being consumed as a massive pillar of flame erupted from beneath them mere moments after they disappeared. On the surface of Celadon City, all seemed quiet. The storm had died down to a mere drizzle, day was on its way and everyone was still happily sleeping in their beds. That was, until the ground began to shake violently and a massive pillar of flame erupted out of the ground, consuming the Game Corner.

 _ **Somewhere in a forest nearby Celadon City**_

 **FWIP**

"AAAAAAAAA-"

With a resounding crash that made the nearby bird Pokemon flee from their nests, Ash's group landed on top of an empty field of grass surrounded by trees after appearing out of thin air. All this excitement and fatigue proved too much for the group and, barring Riley and Lucario, everyone had fallen unconscious upon crashing.

Riley took a quick moment to scan everyone's auras and let out a long-winded sigh after finding nothing wrong. Lucario, however, was a bit more perturbed. Amidst the group of unconscious bodies, Project Zero laid among them. ' _What should we do about this one?_ ' He asked his partner. Riley simply shrugged. "I honestly have no idea. We'll find out when she wakes up, won't we?"

Lucario turned back to him with a stern look, ' _You're too calm about this. I know she chose our side, but she isn't exactly the most stable of people. If she gets startled when waking up or turns back to her feral self somehow, all of us and countless other lives will be lost. It will take the likes of a Legend to stop her!_ '

Riley shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you. It's not as if we can do anything else with her at the moment. If we try to do anything with her aura, she might wake up in an enraged state as well, and you know as well as I do that we can't exactly make her magically disappear. All we can do is wait."

Lucario let out a long-winded sigh. ' _You're...you're right._ '

Riley chuckled. "Ain't that a first."

' _Oh, ha-ha!_ ' After a few minutes of wordless pause, Lucario piped up once more. ' _Adding on to that small list, about your question earlier_.'

"Mm-hmm?"

' _The kid's hasn't gotten us killed so far. Ash, I mean. Not...you know. Anyways, I'll support you in your decision to train the kid along the way to the Tree of Beginning_.'

A smirk crept up Riley's face, but he resisted the urge to be snarky about it.

'... _Oh, by the way, Riley?_ '

"Yeah?"

Lucario plopped down next to the base of a tree and leaned his head back onto it. ' _You're on watch duty_.'

* * *

 _ **Twenty-five miles West of Necrozma's battle with Rayquaza and Arceus**_

Seven figures in pitch-black, militaristic armor comprised of an unknown metal substance simultaneously leapt through their surrounding forestation, jumping from tree to tree until they stopped suddenly, somehow without making a single noise, and looked to the ground below them. In a heap of shattered and fallen trees, a large, black and red unconscious avian's body. At once, they dropped onto the ground and surrounded the body. Each one of the figures carried a signature firearm. One held a thin firearm with a crosshair glass above it for aiming purposes, a a firearm with a gas tank attached to the underside that spat fire, one that shot small, exploding projectiles, a fairly-sized, double-barreled one, a semi-automatic firearm with "LMG" inscribed on it that had a "leg" that could fold out and keep the firearm standing upright, and finally, the largest of the figures carried a firearm nearly as large as himself: a six-barreled firearm that rotated at an incredibly fast pace and could shoot out thousands of small, metal projectiles at a time. The seventh, however, merely carried a black sword over his back. Each of the men had helmets with a built-in visor that obscured their eyes but let them see out of their helmets freely.

"Go," The sword-user ordered simply. The others nodded and began surveying the large bird. With his men busy, the sword-using man turned around and pressed a button on the side of his helmet, enabling the long-distance communications device built into it. "Sir," The man spoke in a deep, gruff voice, "We have found what you asked of us and my men are currently readying it for transport. You may send a pickup team when ready."

" _Well done_ ," The voice on the other end commended, " _And what of that annoying agent?_ "

"I had your Tyranitar crush her head beneath its feet."

" _Excellent. Your work is impeccable as always. We'll have to pay a visit to those fools of the International Police one of these days. Apparently they don't know when to not stick their nose into business where it doesn't belong_."

"Would you have my men and I hunt them down?" The armored man offered.

" _No. The International Police are an annoyance at best. I know them well, and they would be far more foolish than I thought if they were to send a third agent to their death. No, I need you for much more important work._ "

"I trust that you would rather tell me in person than over radio."

" _You know me well, my boy,_ " The voice on the other end said with a short laugh, " _Yes. After all, we never know who might be listening in. Anyways, now that you've secured the package, report back to me posthaste. I've already sent the pickup team on their way._ "

The armored figure nodded. "It will be done, sir-"

"Sir!" One of the other armored figure's interrupted, "You might want to take a look at this!"

The sword-wielding armored figure turned around to face his subordinate. "What could possibly be so important that it needs to interrupt my conversation with our master?"

The other armored figure bowed in apology. "Sorry, sir, I did not know you were speaking with Him."

The sword-using figure sighed. "Fine, just be out with it."

The other figure nodded and continued then held out a tiny, pitch-black crystal barely double the size of a grain of rice. "We found this embedded in its' back." The sword-using figure quickly snatched the tiny crystal out of his subordinate's hand and pressed a button on the side of his hemet, allowing The Man he was speaking to to see through his visor and gaze upon the tiny crystal.

" _...Well done...well done, indeed._ " Spoke the voice on the other end, " _It seems that monster is not as invincible as he likes to believe. That's what he deserves for fighting the so-called "God" of the Legends. Thanks to his carelessness, he has gifted me with power beyond measure. Return to me at once, and deliver that crystal to me immediately._ "

"It will be done, sir. Signing off-"

" _Actually, there's one last thing."_

"Yes, sir?"

" _The scientist, , hasn't been receiving my calls as of late. I fear he may have gone rogue. Bring him to me, along with the project I've had him work on._ "

"Yes, sir."

With that, the sword-using armored figure nodded to his squadron and the seven of them took off into the dark of night.

* * *

Author's Note

The Creator: FFFFFFFFFFFFFinally! It took me a goddamn year but I finally managed to complete this damn thing! I'm so sorry for being away. I lost all inspiration after chapter 9 since I didn't get into a writing class as school I wanted and summer made me lazy, but now, I have that class for my Senior year and I'm no longer lazy at summer! So yaaaaay! Hopefully I made up for my absence with this hulking behemoth of a chapter! Fourty-thousand words is a record I won't be breaking any time soon. By the way, I got two new co-writers/editors that I would have had far more trouble getting this chapter out were it not for them. I hope that whole Project Zero scene wasn't too brutal...this is why we made it rated T. :P P.S. props to Armourshippingfan for sticking with us for this gap. All in all, I'd say this chapter accomplished a lot..(even though it should have been split in two lol. I wasn't confident that the infiltration/Project Zero thing would be that long, but once again, I proved myself wrong. Hey that rhymed.) ...I had Necrozma face off against Mewtwo, Rayquaza and even a short-lived fight against Arceus, Riley and Lucario were introduced to Serena, got Ash and Serena another badge under their belt and brought back Cilan for a cameo, had that whole...thing with Project Zero and of course we got to see more of the man who took down Anabel.

Hydra: holy crap it has been a long time I'm sorry for not being able to upload any new chapters I've been so busy with senior projects and have had a lot going on so sorry about that but hey we did say we would upload a new chapter in the summer so we didn't technically lie haha….. yea sorry bad joke.

Geneditor: Hi, I'm one of the new editors/ co-writers. It was my self-appointed job to make sure the others didn't get too out of hand with their imagination (mostly in the fight scenes). And yes, this is not considered too out of hand in comparison to what they had originally planned. I also handled some of the dialogue and character interactions. An example would be when Riley first encounters Ash in the chapter. I butted heads with The Creator many times, usually we came to an agreement. There are still a few things that I don't particularly agree with but have come to accept. I also found out The Creator's favorite word, count how many times "rocketed" appears in this fic. (No, I'm not letting that go.) I may do bigger parts in the future so expect to see me around.

The Creator: With that, let's get into these reviews and...ho boy...these are some real pieces of work…

 _ **Amourshipper35-**_ "Welcome back guys and I liked how riley saved ash and is going to teach him how to aura finally and I wonder why they wanted ash in the first Place and what those seincesest were doing and who or what progcot 0 is and i hope anabel is okay"

The Creator: Thank you. Riley is definitely going to be playing a major role in our story as Ash's mentor. Why those men wanted Ash in the first place is a secret that will be revealed later. Well, now you know what those Scientists were doing and what Project Zero is...and, uh, Anabel is, sadly, not ok…

Hydra: yea sorry but uh you won't be seeing a Anebel anymore.

Geneditor: Hahaha…..Yeah, she's gone.

 _ **TeamPiperM-**_ "At this point, the International Police should just wait for the main protag to take care of things."

The Creator: You're absolutely right. At this point, they won't exactly be willing to send their men on this suicidal errand any longer. But they'll come back in time.

Hydra: oh boy something big is going to happen with the international Police let's just say a bloody fate awaits them and the rest of their incompetent force.

Geneditor: The International Police don't have anything in their arsenal that could ever compare to Plot Armor.

The Creator: Now...these reviews. I'll just get to them all at once.

 _ **This sukz kys-**_ "Worest fick i evr red i wiped my but with it kil urselfs"

 _ **Tubby Tits-**_ "Thanks a lot before reading this I had HIV but this fic gave me AIDS"

 _ **Gay-**_ "This is terrible kill ur selves stop writing faggots"

The Creator: These...are absolutely beautiful. Keep writing this stuff, I love it and genuinely find it hilarious.

Hydra: a peur maesterpeice yb teh beest of teh beest

Geneditor: Sadly, I'm one of the few in my generation that actually wants to live. So thanks for the suggestion but no, I can't die until Half Life 3.

The Creator: Now that we've got that out of the way, I'm glad to be back. I hope you guys caught on to what was happening with those armored figures and who they were talking to. They'll be important later. As will Project Zero. Next chapter will be about Ash's group getting to know Project Zero better and Riley and Lucario will actually get to train Ash so his Aura isn't just all raw, unfocused energy anymore. ...oh by the way, about the whole Firestorm thing way back when, that "second presence" that Ash felt when running from those guys back in Chapter 9 and that voice that spoke to Rayquaza this chapter...will all be revealed later. Sorry lol. Btw I failed to explain this properly but back when Lugia felt "suddenly revitalized" back in Chapter 5 during his fight with Necrozma, Necrozma was actually healing him but leaving the pain intact so that Necrozma wouldn't kill him but Lugia would still feel all the pain. He did the same to Rayquaza this chapter.

Hydra: And we will be having much more of those legendary scenes in the fic because a lot of people seem to really enjoy those scenes so I hope you guys enjoyed thanks for bearing with us and we hope you enjoyed this 40000 word chapter.

Geneditor: I still have no idea why we did 40,000 words. I tried to suggest to them to cut it off and start a new chapter, saying things like "hey, this would be an awesome cliff-hanger" but nope. They wanted a 40,000 word chapter because of Zero. That is one of their favorite characters by the way, or at least The Creator's. I hope you enjoy the story.

The Creator: (For the record, Necrozma's my favorite). Also, I just wanted to say that I will no longer be italicizing/bolding all the Legendary Pokemon's speech. Necrozma will retain it, and characters yelling in an enraged fashion will keep use it depending on their power. This is because it's getting increasingly difficult to remember what Legend talks which way. See you all next chapter!


	11. Chapter 11: Zero

_**Hall of Origins**_

Once again, Arceus gathered the Legends. It seemed to him, and everyone else present, that this was happening far too often. Of course, only one dared to voice his opinion about it.

"So," Giratina spoke with obvious ire, "What happened this time, _father_? It must have been quite something if you're allowing the man-made bastard child of Mew to be here."

Arceus paused, overlooking the legends before him. Lugia and the three birds were still out of commission, but Xerneas no longer had to strain herself with their healing. Yveltal was, of course, absent along with the masters of land and sea that Arceus had sent off to search for the Wing of Death. Rayquaza was being pestered by Xerneas about his wounds, but he was refusing her aid. Arceus surmised that Rayquaza possibly still felt guilt at his failed battle with Necrozma and decided to keep his wounds as self-punishment. Mewtwo had apparently decided to ignore Giratina's insult, and was propped up against the pillar Mew stood on, crossing his arms. Letting out a long-winded sigh, Arceus began.

"Like Giratina, I'm sure you all are wondering why I gathered you all here once more. I assure you, I too feel that these meetings are far too common." He pointed at Rayquaza. "As I am sure you are all aware, Rayquaza isn't exactly in the greatest of conditions."

Rayquaza looked down in shame.

"I assume you all can guess the reason why," Arceus continued, "Necrozma has struck once more. Mewtwo and Rayquaza attempted to fight him, but were unsuccessful. Yveltal was injured as well, and his whereabouts are currently unknown."

Rayquaza hissed, "And there wasn't a damn thing I could do about it! It was as if I was nothing more than his...plaything!"

Giratina scowled at the injured Sky Dragon. "Really? Some guardian you are."

"I...have no words…" Rayquaza replied, bowing his head in shame.

"Do not be ashamed," Arceus spoke, "You fought valiantly, with all your might. That's all I could ask of you...however…"

"However?" Asked Rayquaza.

Arceus closed his eyes. "...Rayquaza, I hereby revoke your status as guardian against Necrozma."

Rayquaza winced, guilt and shame plaguing him.

"This is not a punishment, Rayquaza," Arceus continued, "I simply realize now, that stopping Necrozma was an impossible task. Despite this, you managed to distract Necrozma long enough to secure the safety of Mewtwo, along with his underlings. What's more, you were able to stay conscious during his ruthless onslaught. Tell us. What kind of power did he have? You fought him longer than I did, after all, and the only other four sources we have are still unconscious."

The other Legends had to do a double-take.

"Wait just a damned minute," Giratina spoke, voicing the other Legends' thoughts, "Did you just say _you_ already fought Necrozma? And he's still at large?!"

Arceus sighed, "Yes, I had dueled with that monster for a short time, but as I previously said, Necrozma injured Yveltal and sent him flying off to who knows where. After that, the demon escaped."

"So, even you couldn't take him down, _father_?" Giratina spat, "If even you are incapable of taking him down, what chance do we have?"

Giratina's remark was only meant to provoke Arceus. He expected his so-called father to lash back at him, saying something like 'I am entirely capable of bringing Necrozma down. Don't try to look down on me, or anyone else here! After all, you rank the lowest.' Or something similar to that...but Arceus's response made even his blood run cold, as well as everyone else present.

"To be honest, you have a point." Arceus conceded, "I am not entirely sure that I can defeat him."

" _WHAT?!_ " Giratina bellowed, "You...you can't be serious!"

"As much as I hate to agree with Giratina," Xerneas spoke up for the first time, "Surely, you cannot truly mean that, father!"

The queen of Pokemon, Mew, even looked distraught at Arceus's message. Hardly anything phased her, or took her out of her cheerful demeanor, but the news that their godfather wasn't even sure that he could take down this threat was enough to shake even her. "Arceus…"

Cries of protests rang throughout the Hall from the legends. The look of panic and terror on their faces stung the Alpha Pokemon. It was as if their world had suddenly crashed around them. The news that their seemingly-invincible father was unsure of their survival was too much to bear.

"I do mean that," Arceus replied, sending a wave of silence throughout the hall, "But do not think for a second that hope is lost. While I, alone, may not be able to take Necrozma down, I truly believe that us, as a combined force, are more than up for the task...Rayquaza, would you resume?"

Rayquaza nodded. "Necrozma, he... _it's_ power is far beyond anything I could have imagined in my most twisted of nightmares. With his finger alone, he turned an entire forest into a crater with seemingly no bottom. When I tackled him from space with my Dragon Ascent, he _blocked_ it with a single hand and…"

The once-proud dragon shuddered for a moment, "It was as if I were nothing more than a ragdoll in the hands of a deranged child. With the casual wave of that thing's hand, the entire landscape was reduced to literal ashes. I questioned how I could survive the onslaught, but then I figured it out. He was _intentionally_ healing me with every attack he dealt to me just so I wouldn't die, and that monster could continue to use me as a plaything for its amusement without accidentally breaking me. Necrozma's cruelty knows no end nor mercy. Without a doubt in my mind, he, it, whatever Necrozma is, will not stop his onslaught until our planet no longer amuses him, and then he will eradicate each and every one of us without batting an eye. He sees all life, all of existence as nothing more than toys he can break at his leisure."

The Legends, barring Arceus, had dread essentially painted across their faces. For all of their millenium or longer-lived lives, the Legends were at the top; the apex. The ones above all. The gods of their world, but now their facades of invulnerability and immortality were coming to a close. Necrozma would come for them all, and if they were the gods, who would they pray to in their time of need?

"That reminds me," Arceus spoke up, "Solgaleo and Lunala. You had mentioned to me that you might have further intel on Necrozma's machinations. Now that the Hall has gathered, would you care to enlighten us about what you might know?"

Solgaleo spoke up first, "It's only a hunch, but we still feel it is important information, even if it is not actually true."

Lunala followed suit, "We only felt it for a brief moment, but it was as clear as day: Both of us felt a connection to Necrozma."

Arceus raised a brow, "Oh? In what way?"

"Well," Continued Solgaleo, "As you know, we are not from your world. We came to this world from another dimension called Ultra Space, but we had never told you the full story."

"It's not that we meant to keep secrets from you all," Lunala followed swiftly, "It's just that we had never thought our origins needed explanation beyond that."

Arceus caught Giratina about to say something, likely more accusations and yelling, so he sent a glare his way to keep him quiet, to the Reverse Dragon's chagrin. Still, it kept him quiet enough for now.

"Long before we came to this world," Started Lunala, "Solgaleo and I lived together in the Ultra Dimension in weaker forms called Cosmogs. Cosmogs were weak, frail little creatures that couldn't fight, let alone defend themselves, and thus they either ended up as food or collateral damage in the wake of the Ultra Beasts that reside there."

Solgaleo spoke again, "Besides Lunala and I, there was another Cosmog that lived with the two of us. The three of us spent every day trying to scrounge up whatever leftover scraps we could find lying around to survive. Every day was a vicious fight for survival, and our little trio went more than our fair share of days without food or water. We became sick of it rather quickly."

"So, we began to look into ways to escape from the Ultra Beasts, and found out about these things called Ultra Wormholes that would appear every so often randomly and briefly, serving as portals to other realms. So, we made a pact to do whatever it took to survive until we could find an Ultra Wormhole and escape our hellish lives."

"One day, the third Cosmog had went out alone to find food, as Lunala and I were far too weak to move, and it was as if some deity took pity on us. An Ultra Wormhole had appeared directly before us, in our own home! Instantaneously, the two of us were whisked away into the Ultra Wormhole, where we briefly became beings we called 'Cosmoem', a comatose state to survive the intense energy of the Ultra Energy that we were subjected to in the wormholes, and finally we wound up in your dimension on opposite ends of your planet. I, Solgaleo, came into contact with intense sunlight whereas Lunala came into contact with glistening moonlight, and the stockpiled Ultra Energy the wormholes subjected us to reacted to the two different energies and transformed us into the state we are now."

Lunala gazed downward, "But...the third Cosmog was left behind. We believe that third Cosmog eventually found another wormhole and became Necrozma, and the suffering he endured in Ultra Space while completely alone drove him mad."

"It's only a theory," Solgaleo followed, "But, the energy we felt from Necrozma, although it only lasted a fraction of a second, felt _exactly_ like the energy of the third Cosmog, only now it's shrouded in a kind of energy that could only be described as a void."

Arceus hummed in thought, "So you believe that Necrozma is your former friend who believes he was abandoned, and thus is on some vengeance-crazed warpath?"

"Again, it's only a theory," Solgaleo replied, "But we believe this information was necessary now more than ever to be shared with everyone here."

Lunala nodded, "Even if it doesn't necessarily give us any information about Necrozma's potential weaknesses, it does give us a theory about his motivation at the very least."

Deoxys balled his hands into fists, enraged. "So, it wasn't about my planet after all, huh? Wasn't even an afterthought to that damned monster!"

"Deoxys, please." Arceus chided.

"Please don't take it personally," Solgaleo said in an attempt to diffuse the situation, "We don't even know if Necrozma even is our lost friend."

Arceus spoke up as well, "It doesn't matter what his motivations are. Deoxys, I know the destruction of your planet has caused you immense pain, but turning your anger against one another will only weaken us. We don't need another Lugia on our hands."

The DNA Pokemon stifled a breath for a moment, then sighed in acceptance. "You're right, Arceus. I should have known better than to let my emotions cloud my judgement at a moment like this."

Arceus nodded, "Then this meeting is over."

The Legends, still shaken up, tentatively began to make their way back through the portals that would take them back to their homes until their lord spoke up once more. "Before you all leave, I have one last thing to say. Be ready. At any moment, Necrozma could strike again. When that happens, I will summon all of us that can fight, and we will all strike at Necrozma at once to end him once and for all!"

As the Legends returned to their homes, Arceus noticed that Rayquaza had stayed behind. "Rayquaza? Is there something else you need of me, or are you uncomfortable about returning home?"

Rayquaza shook his head, "No, milord, it is something else. I didn't know if it was just me hearing or seeing things, but something else happened during my fight with Necrozma. I wasn't sure if it was a hallucination or not, so I didn't want to mention it during the Meeting of the Hall and decided to speak with you when you were alone."

Arceus sighed deeply. "You lot have a terrible habit of leaving out important details until it's inconvenient, you know that?"

Rayquaza bowed his head. "I apologize, but again, I just thought it was a hallucination and not terribly important enough to bring up during the meeting."

"Whatever," Arceus said dismissively, "What is it that you wanted to say, anyways?"

"During my battle with Necrozma, I was about to use up the last of my energy with a Dragon Ascent attack when all of a sudden, I was in an area of pure white emptiness. An endless pale void. In that void, a somehow-brighter white...entity spoke to me, telling me "It was not my place to die" and suddenly my energy returned to me. I'm unsure if it was just my imagination, though, as my attack barely fazed Necrozma."

When Arceus was silent, Rayquaza looked up and saw that a mystified look had overtaken the Alpha Pokemon's features; an expression of awe that Rayquaza had never seen on his master's face ever before. "Lord Arceus?"

Arceus spoke with a voice that sounded as if he was out of breath, "Go on. What did it look like?"

"It...was formless," Rayquaza replied, "It was unimaginable. I couldn't begin to describe what it looked like because I couldn't comprehend it. I did, however, see an arm reach out to me before the vision ended."

Arceus turned his gaze away from Rayquaza in shock. He could scarcely believe what he was hearing. Feelings of fear and confusion like he had never known began rushing throughout the Pokemon God's body. If what Rayquaza was telling him was true...then...he couldn't even begin to imagine what would happen. That being...was utterly unpredictable.

"Lord Arceus?" Rayquaza spoke, "Are you alright?! What, does this vision actually mean something?! If so, what does it mean?!"

"...It could mean two things," Spoke Arceus, "It either means this war of ours is already won...or Necrozma will be the least of our worries…"

* * *

Ash's eyes slowly drifted open as the rising sunlight happened onto his face. He was greeted to the sight of Serena's head lying on his leg, and Pikachu curled up into a ball on the opposite side. However, something else had its head lying on Ash's chest. Someone with white hair-

Ash inwardly gasped. Visions of the previous night flooded his vision. The shrieks, the blood...and _her_. He tentatively dared to look down at the girl lying on his chest, and only succeeded in confirming his fears. That girl from the facility...Zero...the being that slaughtered an entire army of Team Rocket Grunts and their Pokemon singlehandedly, was now asleep, resting her head directly on top of him.

Thousands of a particular type of word that would have gotten him killed by his mother for uttering would have escaped his mouth, but the terror of what this girl would do to him for waking her without warning forcefully choked those words back down his throat.

He looked around desperately for anything he might use to escape this situation. He looked to his left. Serena was sound asleep. Waking her up would no doubt lead to screaming, so that was out of the question. He looked towards his right where his bag was. If he could get that, he could have one of his Pokemon help lift her up, hopefully without awakening her and having her kill everyone. He stretched his arm as much as he could, but to no avail. It was out of his reach. He looked up, hoping to find a low-hanging branch or something to slowly pull himself up with, but the branches of the tree was lying down by were all at the top.

Getting desperate, Ash frantically looked around but found nothing he could use to distance himself from the ticking time bomb sleeping on his waist. Ash gulped, mustering the remaining resolve he had. Tentatively, he slid his hands underneath Zero's cheek at an agonizingly slow pace. His heart skipped a beat when he actually managed to lift her head up. She started suddenly, making his blood run cold. Zero shifted her hand onto Ash's leg, which he was in the middle of attempting to slide out from underneath her.

With his other hand, he lifted up her own off of his leg and slowly shifted it towards the ground where it had been previously...until she suddenly began gripping his hand. Truly, the world was dead set on ruining this poor young trainer. Furthering the world's apparent sudden hatred of Ash, Zero's eyelids began to lift.

' _OH FU-'_

Zero yawned, letting go of Ash's hand to stretch...and opened her eyes. Ash's terror-stricken face and Zero's void-like eyes greeted each other at last. At first, neither of them moved. One was too fraught with terror to move, while the other stared blankly and thoughtlessly up at the other. Zero's face contorted suddenly and she pushed off of Ash onto her feet. Her expression was a mixture of rage, pain and confusion; the same expression that had been plastered on her face during the previous night's... incident. She let out a screech that awakened Serena and Pikachu and began clawing at her face. She charged at Ash without warning, forcing him to leap out of the way, narrowly avoiding an ice-covered punch that sent the tree behind him careening down the hill behind them.

Pikachu hopped in between Ash and Zero, sparking his cheeks menacingly, all the while Serena wasn't sure _what_ to do. Every instinct told her to scream and run, but she knew doing that would just alert Zero to her presence. Pikachu fired a Thunderbolt at the silver-haired girl, only for a barrier to appear around her and negate the attack completely. Zero roared, sending a jet of flame out of her hands, which Pikachu narrowly evaded.

"Pikachu, stop!" Ash commanded, "Attacking her will only make it worse!" Pikachu looked at him hesitantly, as if asking him if he was serious. Ash gave him a stern look, which prompted Pikachu to obey, even if it went against the rodent's judgement.

Ash confronted the young girl slowly, like how a trainer would confront a raging animal in an attempt to get closer to it. He held up his harm towards her while shifting his feet ever so slightly to close the distance while Pikachu and Serena watched with bated breath. Ash closed his eyes and inhaled deeply. "Come on, aura," He whispered aloud, "Don't let me down…" In response, the familiar blue flames of Aura began swirling across Ash's body once more, rendering Zero almost hypnotized.

Without Zero's realizing, Ash managed to grab her hand, allowing his Aura to come in contact with her. In an instant, Ash's calm blue flames were met with crimson red and pitch black flames of Zero's own. Zero was coated in a soothing dance of cyan whereas Ash was tormented with the agonies Zero had been subjected to over the course of their lives. Their aura's mixed, and their memories were shared.

Ash fell backward, clutching at the arm that had made contact with Zero and screamed in agony as the memories of constant, unending torture at the hands of that madman Charon, and the memories of all the Pokemon that had been killed by his hand to further Zero's development. He saw visions of a younger Zero playing with various Pokemon in the facility, only for men in suits to drag her away and inject her with a multitude of substances: the DNA of innumerable Pokemon. He saw each and every one of them cry out in fear before their lives were ended and they were turned into liquidated materials to be injected into the poor young girl. He saw the younger Zero refuse to harm the other Pokemon even after the tortures they had put her through, and then he saw them dig out her eyes. With more Pokemon DNA: she learned how to see without eyes, but still the torture never ended. Not until her mind broke and she became the killing machine those men had wanted.

Zero meanwhile saw the memories of Ash's travels up until now. She saw his first reaction to a Pokemon battle as a young child. She saw him meeting his lifelong partner, Pikachu for the first time. She saw Ash make friends with Misty and Brock, She saw him gain new Pokemon to get more Gym badges. She saw how he went from a selfish young boy who only saw Pokemon as means to get new Gym badges, to a kind young trainer who put the needs and wants of his Pokemon and friends before his own. She saw the trials and tribulations he had gone through over the years to make his dream come true, but _never_ at the cost of his Pokemon's suffering if he could help it. He treated his Pokemon as if they were his own family, and actively put himself at risk to save his Pokemon and other people for nothing in return. She saw how his dreams of fame and glory turned into dreams of adventure and helping out as many people and Pokemon as he could, with glory being a welcome side effect of his travels. And she saw the myriad of people Ash had befriended along the way. She saw the terrible people he had met too, but also that Ash had put a stop to it each and every time. She saw what this wonderful world had to offer through the eyes of a wonderful human being.

As Ash broke contact with Zero, she was snapped out of her visions, but still remained entranced by their memories. "Ash!" "Pika!" Serena and Pikachu called out as they raced to their friend's aid, no longer caring about the potential danger of doing so. Riley and Lucario appeared as well, also racing over to help their fallen friend.

"Hey, Ash!" Riley called to him, holding him still as the young trainer continued to agonize over his arm and the torturous memories of Zero. Riley gripped onto Ash's wrist and channeled his own Aura into it to combat the swirling red Aura of Zero. "Easy, easy," Riley said, "...Arceus, this is the worst I've ever seen."

"Huh? Worst what? What's happening to him?" Serena inquired with worry.

"Worst Aura. Not in terms of strength, mind you, this is one of the most incredibly powerful Auras I've ever felt, but in terms of negativity...I've seen orange Aura from injured, raging Pokemon before, but...never crimson...usually, all Auras start off blue and become darker and redder due to negative feelings. I've only ever heard about crimson aura before, but never seen it until now…" He looked over to the entranced Zero, "...I can't even begin to comprehend what she's been through, but…"

"But?" Asked Serena

"Ash might not be able to say the same. I think that's what's harming him. They're sharing memories, and experiencing them at that. It's as if she used Pain Split or something."

Serena's face whitened, "Oh Arceus, you mean he's going through what she did?!"

Riley shook his head, "He might be experiencing some of it, but he's luckily not skilled enough with Aura to even be able to fully experience someone else's memories, and I'm combatting her Aura that's implanted on him right now. If he was able to fully experience her memories, we'd likely have two Zeros to deal with."

Zero blinked out of her trance and stepped back, causing Riley, Lucario, Serena and Pikachu to snap their gaze towards her, which made Zero flinch. She was dazed, unsure of what to do next. So many thoughts clouded her mind like a blood clot preventing any blood from flowing. Between Ash's and her own memories, it became hard for her to distinguish what thoughts she should think, or even be able to think. The madness still clawed at her mind, but she no longer felt the urge to embrace it. She attempted to speak, but only choked fractions of words could escape from her. She hadn't spoken normally for years, after all.

Pikachu sparked his cheeks warningly and growled at Zero, while Riley and Serena simply stared at her, unsure what to do next. Zero attempted to step forward towards Ash, and Pikachu in return nearly fired a Thunderbolt her way to keep her back, but Ash placed a hand on Pikachu's head, scruffing up the mouse's fur.

"No need for that," Ash said, sitting up. He pushed himself off of the ground and stood up, but winced as another surge of Zero's tortured aura wracked through his arm once more. Zero tried to make herself step forward towards him, but something stopped her. Guilt began to plague her as she looked down at Ash's arm that was being tormented by the crimson red aura. _Her_ aura that she had inflicted onto him when he tried to stop her from killing him.

Tears as black as ink began dropping down from her void-like eyes and she started to shudder. "I...I-I'm…" She attempted to mutter through shaky sobs. She clenched her fists with rage, though for the first time she could remember, this rage wasn't directed around her. It wasn't the same rage that had been constricting her like puppet strings and forcing her to slaughter everything that moved. She felt a hatred she had never known before, and she had thought she'd known every hatred imaginable. This rage, this hatred could only be directed at herself. She hated herself for giving into the tortures of her creators. She hated herself for killing the only friends she'd ever known. She hated herself for allowing herself to become a mindless weapon for that bastard Charon's works, and she hated herself for harming the only person to ever show her kindness. What's more, she had been freed from Charon's grasp, yet the first thing she did with that freedom was attack the people who had helped her gain that freedom, and continued to be the living weapon her creators desired.

Ash clapped a hand on her shoulder, ushering a small gasp from Charon's creation. She dared to look up and expected to see a fist or another attack of some sort heading her way. She expected retaliation, and flinched, but didn't move. She deserved it, after all. When she dared to open her pitch-black eyes, she saw neither fist nor any other kind of attack. She saw her savior smiling down at her, as if nothing was wrong.

"Hey, don't worry about it," Ash said, as if he was reading her mind, "This is nothing compared to some other stuff I've been through, and you didn't mean to do it, so it's no big deal."

An inky tear flowed down from her cheek and onto Ash's hand as Zero looked down away from Ash. She tried to force herself to break away from him, but her body wouldn't listen...it never did. Ash knelt down to be eye-level with Zero and wiped away her tears. "...I saw what they did to you. It's not right. Something like that...I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. Not that I have many, I hope, but even if I did...well, you get my meaning. Anyways, my point is, you shouldn't let that stop you from living your own life?"

Zero opened her eyes. "My...life…?"

Ash nodded, "Your life is yours to live any way you choose. Not my choice, not your creators' choice or anyone else's. Only you can choose how you live, but if you want my advice, I wouldn't let your past decide your future."

Ash lifted the small girl off of her feet and onto his back, giving Zero a view of the rising sun from the hilltop they were on. Her eyes glittered as she gazed upon the bright morning landscape. The sunlight rising over the mountains beyond and glittering off of the metal and glass of the nearby city. The various bird Pokemon awakening from their sleep to begin their daily flights and birdsongs.

"This world is full of beauty! I believe that you should live alongside this world and experience all that it has to offer. Not all of it is like this, though. There are people and Pokemon that act selfishly and of their own accord, but I don't think you need to be told that. My point is, just because there can be a lot of evil in this world, it doesn't mean that the good in this world is meaningless in comparison. I think you'll be happy if you can live like that."

He hoisted the young girl off of his shoulders and held her up so that they were facing each other. Though Zero wasn't smiling as he'd hoped, she definitely had a spark in her eye that told Ash that she was on her way away from her past. "You don't have to forget what happened before," He said, "Those memories, although they might be painful, are still an important part of who you are. Never forget your past, but don't let it control you either. They'll hurt for a long time, sure, and I don't expect it to ever stop hurting either. Pain like that might not ever heal, but overtime, I promise you'll notice it less and less so long as you keep on having happy memories to go alongside them."

Zero stared at him in thought for a moment, and then nodded.

Serena, meanwhile, was watching this scene play out with an odd smile. "Huh. Who thought he'd end up being good with kids?"

Riley nodded. "Yes, I didn't expect him to have this kind of attribute. And what's more, he's already learning how to use his Aura to soothe others." A smile appeared on the Aura Guardian's face as the sunlight rose up to meet him, "He's coming along faster than anticipated, and I've barely began to train him!"

He turned to his partner with a knowing grin that said 'Told you so', to which Lucario faked a scowl. In truth, he too was beginning to become interested in Ash's development.

"I don't think it's just his Aura," Serena said, "Ash has always had this kind of aptitude for helping others." She closed her eyes and remembered her first encounter with Ash when she was injured and stranded in a forest. Ash had come out of nowhere, patched up her injury, and guided her back to safety of his own accord, without asking anything in return. "He's always been like this for as long as I've known him."

"Perhaps you could be right," Riley replied with a small chuckle.

 _ **A few hours later**_

The group, after becoming accustomed with their new member, decided not to continue their travels just yet. It was important to help Zero train with her powers so she wouldn't become a ticking time bomb under stress, and being able to train Ash with Aura and the group's Pokemon for further battles wouldn't hurt either.

"So," Started Riley, "Now that we've agreed that today is a training day, I say we should split up into groups. I was hoping that I could train Ash with Aura today, so Serena and Lucario should be in charge of the Pokemon."

"Me?" Serena asked, "I'm...still not very experienced, you know. I might not be the best at training Ash's Pokemon since I'm not as adept of a trainer as he is."

"Well, you'll never get better if you don't start somewhere," Ash pointed out, "And my Pokemon have been journeying with us since we started in Kalos, barring Sceptile, but I wouldn't worry about him anyways. He likes to train on his own anyways. The rest won't give you any trouble, right Pikachu?"

"Pika!" Pikachu chirped back with a nod. Ash handed her his bag with his Pokemon in it. "You'll do great! You're a better trainer than you give yourself credit for, you know."

Serena shyly rubbed the back of her head, "You think so?" Ash replied with a nod and thumbs up.

Zero raised her hand, "...Will I be…" She stopped for a moment, mulling over her next words for a moment, "..."Training" with you?"

Riley nodded, "Indeed you will, but you will be alternating between training with Ash and I and training with Serena and the other Pokemon."

Zero raised her hand again, to which Riley nodded her way. "What does training mean?"

"Well…" Riley started, "It's like...exercising and fighting to get stronger and more skilled."

Zero drooped her head a little, "So, I have to fight again…?"

"Well, not fighting in the way you...have…" Riley replied, "You certainly won't need to kill your opponent. Think of it like...playing roughly, yeah? It's just so you can experiment with your powers more and learn to control them better."

Zero's eyes furrowed, clearly not quite understanding his meaning, but she could at least understand "You won't need to kill your opponent," which made her happy. "...Ok."

Riley nodded and continued, "You'll be starting with Ash and I first to help with control over your powers. I feel that control is the most important aspect someone could have. That way, you're less likely to hurt yourself and others if you can help it."

Zero's void-like eyes somehow glistened as she heard "Less likely to hurt others."

"Lucario," Riley continued, "Will be assisting Serena and training with the other Pokemon."

Lucario nodded wordlessly and began following Serena.

"And that will be all." He pointed at Zero and Ash, "You two, come with me, please." Riley led Ash and Zero away from the others into a thicket of enclosed forest. Zero looked up in wonder to see the leaves bristle gently against one another with each breeze that passed by. A few Bug Pokemon came out of their hiding spots to peek out at the trio, but quickly went back into hiding once they saw Zero, causing the young girl to frown. Noticing this, Ash put a hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her reassuringly.

"Don't worry about them," Ash said, "Give them time and they'll warm up to you."

Zero replied with a down-toned "Hmm…"

As the leaves surrounding them became more and more scarce, they entered a small opening. The sky was still blotted out by the leaves, but a circular opening with a few tree stumps in the middle lay beneath the trees that seemed to curve inward around the circular opening.

"This should be a good spot," Riley commented, "Not too much light, but not too dark to see either, and those stumps should provide good seating for meditation."

"Medi...tay-shun?" Zero asked, "What's that?"

"It's probably better for you to see for yourself," Replied Riley, "But that will come later anyways. For now, we should work on being able to summon our Aura and manipulate it. Ash, you seem to already have a fair grasp about how to do so, right?"

Ash nodded and closed his eyes. With a few deep breaths, the small blue flames of Aura appeared around him once more, surrounding him in a dance of cyan blue fire, and opened his eyes once again.

"Woah," Ash commented, "I haven't really been able to see what this looked like before. I was always only able to summon it when I was in danger and couldn't really appreciate what it looked like, but now….wow…" Zero, too, looked in awe at Ash's Aura.

Riley started again, "Good, then this will be easier. As for you, Zero, your...past might have negative influences on your ability to summon your Aura. I saw before that your aura was a deep crimson red, and very erratic. You are certainly powerful enough to use it, but doing so would likely only end up in your harming yourself and others."

Zero frowned and looked down, but Riley continued, "That, my dear Zero, is why I think it's best to start off elsewhere. I recall that Doctor from before said that you could use Pokemon attacks, so if you can learn to control those, you might be able to control your Aura."

"Wait, then wouldn't it be better to have had Zero go with Serena to train with the Pokemon?" Ash asked.

"No, there might be a chance that she would become stressed in a noisy environment like that and break down again. She might be docile now, but she could easily become volatile once more if we do this wrong," Replied Riley, "Not only that, but Aura seems to have a mesmerizing effect on her, so we can easily calm her down. I trust Lucario to be able to do so as well, but this is still the safer option."

"I see," Said Ash with a nod, "Right. So, how should we start?"

"You've already learned a basic deal of control over your Aura on your own, and unlike Zero's, yours isn't volatile in the slightest," Riley started, "So to teach Zero control, it might be better if we show her rather than tell. So, Ash, care to test out your Aura on me?"

"Like, a battle?" Asked ash, to which Riley chuckled and replied, "Yes, something like that. Only this time, it's the trainers duking it out instead of their Pokemon."

Ash nodded and grinned, "Alright, I think I get it. Hey, Zero, pay close attention. This should give you an idea where to start." Zero nodded, so Ash continued, "Alright, I've seen other Lucario's do this before, so now it's time for me to give it a try!" He cupped his hands at the side of his hip and charged his Aura between the palm of his hands. "Aura Sphere!"

As a stream of auric blue flames were channeled down from Ash's arms and into his palms, a blue sphere came into existence with a swirl of light guiding it, causing Zero to stare in dumbfounded awe at the sight of it. The stream of flames stopped suddenly, signifying that the attack had been completed and was now ready to be utilized. With a battle cry, Ash thrusted his hands forward and released a brilliant blaze of blue from his palms that…

...fizzled out uselessly into smoke and disappeared without a trace.

Riley sighed exasperatedly, "No, no, no, your whole stance is wrong. Why are you cupping your hands, are you trying to imitate some anime character or something? Cupping your hands like that makes the streams of Aura from your arms clash against each other when forming the sphere, and what's more, it makes the sphere form _outside_ of the in-between area of your hands that it should be forming in."

Riley walked over to Ash and brought the boy's arms up in front of him so that one hand was higher than the other and the palms were facing one another, but the fingers were open and curved rather than closed and cupped, and his arms were outstretched directly in front of him. Zero watched intently, as if she were a young school student eager to learn the alphabet for the first time.

Riley stepped away from Ash and held his own arms out in the same fashion. "You start with your arms outstretched and fingers curved in toward each other to help guide the Aura easier." To show what he meant, Riley began forming an Aura Sphere of his own for Ash to mimic. "Follow along with me, Ash. You're supposed to start the stream from your core, not your arms. If you summon Aura from your core beforehand, it will spread all throughout your body evenly and allow a flow to manifest itself easier."

He demonstrated by flaring up his deep cyan Aura around himself in a miniature cyclone of fire. The flames quickly began spiraling around his arms and then to his fingertips, then using the curve of his fingers to send it forward from there. "By having one hand above the other, the trails of Aura won't clash. They'll spiral around in a circle until a sphere is formed." Lo and behold, the aura dancing at Riley's fingertips began circling around each other into a ball. Next, Riley moved the ball behind him using his arms, but not directly touching it. "After the first step is done, you should bring the orb behind you. By doing so, you can continue to charge it while also being able to keep an eye on your target and lessen the chance of them attacking the orb to destabilize it. I can see why you started here first, since Lucario and I are so fast at doing this that it looks like the first step is done instantaneously."

"Wait, what do you mean by destabilizing it?" Asked Ash, to which Riley nodded in apparent approval of his asking. "Great question," He replied, "In fact, this is a good question for you as well, Zero."

Zero nodded eagerly.

"You see," Continued Riley, "This trait isn't uniquely exclusive to Aura. All Energy-based attacks can be destabilized with another energy attack. Even an attack 1/100th of the strength of an energy attack that's being charged can destabilize it and cause the accumulated energy to be disrupted and explode. Think of it like a rushing river being suddenly stopped by a falling rock, so the river, having nowhere to go, begins overflowing."

The Aura Sphere in Riley's hands climaxed, and so he stopped the flow of Aura and allowed the sphere to float between his hands. He brought it forward to allow Ash and Zero to look at it for a moment, then fired it off towards Ash suddenly. Ash's eyes widened and instinctively, he broke out of his stance and held out his palms to block the attack. He shut his eyes to brace for the impact, but it never came. He hesitantly opened his eyes, and saw that the sphere was now harmlessly floating in front of his palms. Both he and Zero stared with awe.

"You see, Zero," Riley said, appearing behind the young girl and scruffing up her hair almost instantaneously and without her even noticing until he had touched her, "That attack could have seriously damaged Ash, but due to both my control and his instincts and reflexes, that attack became harmless. This is why control is so important. It can be the deciding factor between harming someone you care for, and not."

Zero could only respond with a light, breathy gasp that sounded like an extended "Woah" as she stared back up at him.

"Hey, Ash!" Riley called up to him, "Speaking of control, your first lesson will be to control that Aura Sphere I gave you. Wave it around, maneuver it however you want, but don't lose track of it or let it die out. If it gets too far away from your hands, it could fly off by itself or just fall apart."

Ash nodded with a grin, accepting the challenge, "You got it!"

"Also, your goal is to be able to successfully create one of your own before we head back to the others. Moving that thing around should help you figure it out for yourself." Ash nodded again, "All right, I understa-"

"But if you can't, you don't get any dinner when we head back, so it's probably in your best interest not to lose it, got it?"

Ash's heart sank immediately at he thought of losing out on a meal. "Wait, WHAT?!"

Riley simply laughed at Ash's expense and turned himself and Zero away from the now-terrified boy. "Now, Zero, that you understand the basic function of control and why it's necessary, would you like to try it out for yourself?"

"Try out Aura?" Zero asked excitedly. Riley smiled sympathetically and shook his head, "No, like I said before, Aura might be beyond you right now." When Zero frowned, Riley ruffled her hair again and crouched down so they were face-to-face. "But, we can start off with regular Pokemon Attacks for now, and if you get a good handle on those, we can try Aura later."

Zero stared blankly at him in deep thought for a moment. "...You tell me to "Attack?", right? Those men, my creators...they told me to do the same, and when I didn't, they…" She trailed off, unable to finish her sentence and clenched her eyes shut, vigorously shaking her head. "I...don't want to...be like that again…"

Riley stared at her with pity. ' _Man,'_ He thought, ' _Poor Zero…_ ' He ruffled her hair again and summoned his auric flames around the two of them in a dome of brilliant blue light that slowly swirled round and around. "Hey," He said gently, "Open your eyes, will you?" Zero stood still for a few seconds, but ultimately obeyed and was met with the beautiful, mesmerizing Aura that she couldn't help but love. "You really love Aura, don't you?"

Zero nodded her head.

"That's good. Aura is the essence of all life, and all of existence as well. Loving Aura means that you love all life as well as this world we all live in. But…" He shut off the flow of Aura surrounding them, causing Zero to become distressed once more. Not because of her previous thoughts, but the sight of it fading away. "...If life begins to die out, that means existence might die out too. If existence dies out, Aura dies out. You love Aura, don't you? That means you love our world."

Zero appeared to be in deep thought once more, until Riley began speaking again, "But, there are some people who think our world is theirs for the taking, and would harm life to control it. That is why good people fight too: to stop the evil people from destroying our world. You don't want this world to be destroyed, do you?"

Zero vigorously shook her head, earning a smile out of the Aura Guardian. "Then you should learn to fight. Not to destroy and kill others, but to protect our world and the life that lives in it. That way, the Aura can stay too."

Zero pondered his words. To her, "Fighting" meant killing, and killing those she cared for at that, but here, this man was telling her that fighting could mean protecting? Fighting could mean that life is saved rather than ended? She still wasn't sure how this could be true, since every time she was told to fight, many lives were destroyed, but the young girl was curious if such a thing could be true. She closed her eyes, and like always, the only thing that she could see was a pile of corpses and liquid crimson staining the walls and floors. The thought that fighting could mean anything other than this was unimaginable to her, but… She looked up at Riley and then to Ash who was attempting to throw the Aura Sphere, and upon succeeding, vigorously rushing to catch it so it wouldn't dissipate. ...These people _did_ save her. They risked their lives so that she could gain one of her own. And that meant something, right? If their fighting saved her, could her fighting save others?

"...Okay," She said at last, "I want to learn how to fight...so that I can protect life…"

Riley grinned at her response approvingly and patted her shoulder, like a coach to one of their players. "Great! Then, first, we should get a handle on what you're capable of."

Riley stood back up to his full height and walked a few steps away from Zero, then turned around to face her. "Say, do you know the names of the attacks you can use?"

Zero tilted her head in confusion. "Names?"

"I'll take that as a no. Every attack that a Pokemon can use has a name to it. Here, I have an idea. Use an attack, say, at that tree stump to my left. Then, I'll tell you what it's called."

Zero nodded with a humm, turned towards the stump and summoned bright orange flames to her fist. She stared down at her fist for a moment as if contemplating if she should even use it, then shook her head to clear her mind of such thoughts and launched herself forward at the stump. With a swift upward motion, her flame-coated fists uprooted the stump as well as much of the ground around it and incinerated it with a pillar of flames that followed the initial punch.

Riley stared at Zero with his mouth agape for a moment as he witnessed the stump being reduced to less than mere ashes in an instant. He coughed into his hand and brushed off his surprise. ' _Somehow, I keep forgetting there's a demon behind that child_ '

"That," Riley started, regaining his composure "Was Fire Punch."

"Fire Punch…" Repeated Zero, looking at her once-enflamed hands, "...I want to learn more names. To understand my powers better, so that I can protect more things."

"Well, let's continue, then," Replied Riley, "Fire off a new attack. First one that comes to mind, besides Fire Punch again." Zero nodded eagerly and clasped her hands together, forming an orange sphere between her fingertips that continuously became larger with each passing second. Riley's blood ran cold when he figured out what attack she was using. "H-hey, wait, that one might be a bit too-" He was cut off when Zero aimed her hands upwards and fired. A massive orange laser tore through the trees, blowing back anyone or anything nearby and sending bird Pokemon for miles scattering.

A rainfall of small debris hailed down on the trio for a few seconds as Zero ceased the attack, then all became silent. Zero turned around with a grin, as if nothing happened. "So, what was that one called?" Riley and Ash hesitantly stepped out from behind some badly-bent trees, with the former checking his hands to see if the Aura Sphere had remained in his hands, only to find that it had been blown away.

"That was...Hyper Beam…" Riley said with a dry chuckle.

"Hyper Beam!" Zero chirped back happily, "C'mon, let's do more!"

Riley was quick to halt this mess."I'm gonna have to stop you right there," He said, "Remember that whole lesson about control?" Zero nodded. "Well, restraint is an important part of control." Riley motioned with his hand at the trees that were nearly blown over by the force of Zero's attack. "Sometimes, it's necessary to hold back. It can be fun to let loose, sure, but it can also be dangerous if you're not paying attention to your surroundings, otherwise you might hurt someone you don't mean to. These trees are living things too, and even more life relies on these trees to survive."

Zero looked down and hummed in thought. "...Don't use too much power...okay, I get it."

Riley nodded, "Then it's okay. Just be careful from now on."

"So, what's next?" Asked Zero. Riley pondered their next course of actions for a moment, and then an idea struck him. "Before we continue with offensive attacks, we should try defensive attacks and focusing attacks."

Zero tilted her head in confusion once more, "What do those mean? Offensive and Defensive?"

Riley charged another Aura Sphere in his hands to show what he meant. "An offensive attack is something that can damage- er, hurt others. They're what most people consider to be "attacks". They're like Fire Punch and Hyper Beam, yeah? Defensive Attacks are like...shields and stuff. They can protect you and others from danger." He shifted the Aura from the Aura sphere into a cyan screen in front of him. "There are also healing attacks which can undo damage to things."

Zero's void-like eyes widened, like her very world was expanding. "Ooooh, so you mean…" She looked around at the nearly-flattened trees surrounding them, "I can undo this?"

"An excellent question," Riley replied, "Which brings me to my next lesson. Undoing damage is far more difficult than doing damage. You could heal all the wounds you inflicted on these trees, but that wouldn't entirely "fix" them, per say. You would still have to put them back upright but even that might hurt them or make it worse, since the dirt underneath them was blown away too. You'd have to replace all the dirt around them as well, so their roots can be used again properly as well. The same can be said with people and other living things as well. If you destroy the home of something or someone, even if they survive, they'll still be without a home. Undoing that damage would mean you would have to help rebuild their home as well, and no Pokemon move would be able to do that as well as it could inflict it." He clasped a hand on her shoulder. "That is another reason why control is so important."

Zero nodded in understanding, "I...see...Damage can be inflicted easier than it can be healed…"

"Right," Riley said with a nod, "And there's something else too. Some damage can never be undone. You should know that better than anyone, with what you've been through. You already know that fighting can kill, so there's no need for me to remind you. But there's also another kind of damage that can never be undone. Damage to someone's mind."

Riley knelt down and poked Zero on her chest over her heart, "You know what I mean. If you hurt someone too badly, even if their body is healed, they will never be able to cope with that kind of damage, and they'll break…"

Zero frowned deeply, "You mean they'll...become like I did?"

Riley nodded, "Mhmm. I'm not saying it isn't impossible for them to recover. I mean, look at you. You'll never forget what happened to you down there in that lab, and that's okay. You shouldn't ever forget, and I doubt you ever could anyways, but you're on the path to recovery. Some people might not ever have the chance of recovery. That's why it's important to control yourself and what you can do with your powers."

Zero slowly nodded, staring down at her heart. "I...don't want anyone to be hurt...like I was…"

"That's good," Riley said with a smile, "Wishing suffering upon others is how people who have suffered want to cope. They want others to feel what they've felt, and to understand what they've been through, even if some will never admit it. But, wishing suffering upon others will only damage you even more, and you're liable to become even more damaged yourself. You should never have to return to that dark place, Zero, and controlling your powers so you can help others will in turn help you."

"...Why do people cause suffering, then? If it hurts themselves and others, but helping others lets people help themselves, then why do people not just help each other?" Zero asked, to which Riley sighed and smiled dryly. "The age-old question...I don't think anyone has that answer. The cycle of suffering comes with life, as does the cycle of kindness. They're two sides of the same coin. You can't have one without the other, but it's better to stay on the brighter side, I'd say. So, how about we take this whole thing from the top, eh?"

Zero nodded eagerly. "...Yes, let's…"

 _ **Four hours later**_

The sun was now on its way to setting, and with its' setting approaching, so too came the ending of Ash's and Zero's lesson.

"Alright, Ash," Announced Riley, "Time's up. Let's see that Aura Sphere."

Ash, pale as snow, shakily stood before Riley while desperately trying, and failing, to hide his terror. Since he'd lost Riley's Aura Sphere during Zero's Hyper Beam, he was unable to get a real grasp on the attack and was now dreading the loss of his end-of-the-day meal he'd loved so much.

"Ash. Aaaaaash!" Riley called out to him, "Any day now. The longer you keep us waiting, the colder your dinner will be…" Riley smiled devilishly, "If you get one, that is."

Ash snapped out of his stupor. A new determination rushed throughout his blood; one unlike he'd ever known before. A determination that superseded his ambition in the Pokemon League, a determination that dwarfed his dream of exploring the world, a determination that even came close to rivaling his determination to meet new Pokemon and journey with his friends: The determination to enjoy dinner.

"That's it!" Ash bellowed, flaring his Aura, "I'M GONNA MAKE AN AURA SPHERE SO AMAZING, I'LL BE EATING _YOUR_ DINNER AS A REWARD!"

With a mighty battle cry, the young trainer _thrust_ his arms forward, spiraling his aura into the shape of an orb, _plunged_ his arms behind him and with his full, unbridled power, shot his arms forward and released all the Aura he'd stockpiled into one single, powerful, _mighty_ , _**unbridled**_ , _**UNCONTAINABLE**_ cyan blue ball of pure Auric Power, then shot his hands forward and released…

...yet another useless fizz of blue smoke.

Ash collapsed onto his face, both in disbelief and exhaustion.

Riley sighed dramatically, putting a hand to his forehead for emphasis. "And thus, dinner evaded the poor young boy…"

Ash let out a muffled, exasperated moan without picking his head up from the ground.

"We'll keep working on it," Riley assured him, "Now, Zero for your final test for today…"

Riley shifted into a battle stance, flaring his Aura in violent spikes of swirling energy around himself. "Show me what you've learned."

Zero's eyes widened. "You...want me to fight you…?! I can't-"

"You can!" Riley shot back, "And you will! You've been nearly perfect at learning everything I've taught you. You've memorized at least eighty attack names and what they all do, and you've learned how to temper your power. If you've learned anything, then taking me down should be a cakewalk with your power."

Zero shook her head. "You're confusing me! I thought I was learning to fight to protect my friends, not to…" Visions of her Pokemon friends from the underground facility lying in pools of their own blood flooded her vision as she closed her eyes again. "I don't want to…"

"This brings me to my final lesson," Riley announced, "Sometimes, hurting the ones you care for is unavoidable. But they'll likely be more understanding than anyone. You won't have to kill me, only immobilize me or get me to admit defeat. This will be nothing compared to the horrors you've gone through, and defeating me without killing me will only prove that you're on your way from moving on from what you used to be. You're not a weapon anymore. If you can defeat me without killing me, you can prove that you're not just a weapon either!"

Zero attempted to retort, but was met with a blast of Aura that knocked her down.

"And here's an extra lesson: In a real fight, your enemy will never relent! To defend yourself and others, you must fight back!"

Riley leapt up into the air and aimed an axe kick down at the young girl. Just as the Aura Guardian was about to deliver the blow, a jet of fire shot out from underneath him, forcing him to stop the attack and instead use his Aura to propel himself out of the way.

Zero stepped back onto her feet with a dark look on her face. Thought this time, it was not one of murderous intent. It was one of determination and grit. She dug her heel into the dirt and leapt forward at Riley. "Fire Punch!"

Riley was quick on the uptake. With a cocky grin, he closed his eyes and flipped over Zero, letting her sail harmlessly underneath whipped around and sent a Focus Blast his way, which he again dodged without looking. Becoming aggravated, Zero raised her arms and summoned a hail of stones from above her mentor. "Rock Slide!"

Riley chuckled and, still without opening his eyes, sent out a pulse of Aura from his hand to push him out of the way. "You're going to have to try harder than that," He taunted. Zero growled in irritation and leapt up at him, but Riley simply used his Aura to fly upwards out of harm's way. Now Riley went on the attack. He charged a barrage of Aura Spheres and sent them hurtling down at Zero, forcing her to go on the defensive with a Protect, but it became increasingly more difficult to keep the barrier up as it went on. She gasped at air as she quickly became exhausted, but didn't abandon the shield. Finally, she let out a gasp and was forced to let the shield go. Immediately, she was hit with an Aura Sphere that sent her sprawling.

"Protect may be an absolute defensive measure," Riley spoke down to her, "But it becomes increasingly difficult to manage as time goes on and saps away at your stamina. It should only be used in short bursts so you don't exhaust yourself. If you let yourself become defenseless, then there's nothing stopping your opponent from doing...say…"

Riley bolted down with another Aura Sphere in his hands. He raised his arms over his head, allowing the orb to grow continuously bigger so he could crash down on top of Zero with the attack. "THIS!" Riley shot the orb down in front of him and flipped around so he was upright. As the ball impacted Zero and exploded upon contact, Riley shot down at her immediately afterward with a kick to her back that elicited a short pained cry and pinned her down.

"Carelessness in battle will always lead to defeat. If you are careless, both you and those you are trying to protect will be left defenseless."

Zero growled with fury. "Discharge!" Riley leapt off of Zero and summoned an auric barrier around himself just in time to defend against a blast of electricity that shot out of Zero in all directions and kicking up smokey dust around the area as well.

"I can admire your strategic mind," Riley commended, "But, I can sense your Aura and I know that you're currently using Dig to go underneath my barrier. It would have been a foolproof plan...if you were facing an amateur!" Riley ceased using the barrier and leapt up the moment he felt the ground beneath him twitch. But he was taken aback when nothing appeared out from the hole. He heard the ground crunch beneath him as another hole was torn out from underneath it, but as he whipped around to see what had come out, he was met with nothing yet again. Several more holes began appearing around the battlefield one after another, but still nothing appeared from any of them. "Tch." He remarked in annoyance. The Aura Guardian's eyes lit blue as he attempted to find out Zero's location with his Aura, but to his surprise, he found there were several of her Aura Signatures. "She must be using Double Team," He said to himself, "But if they're fakes, then the strongest signature must be re-" He was cut off suddenly by a blow from behind that sent him flying through the air.

He flared his Aura to stop himself and tried to sense Zero's Aura again from where he'd been attacked, but found nothing yet again. Another blow struck him from underneath. Then another one from above quickly after. Riley cursed and summoned a barrier in time to see a blur strike his shield, leaving a flash of light for a moment as they collided. Another blow struck the shield, and then another, and then countless more invisible strikes hailed against the blue barrier without relent.

' _So, it's not Double Team after all…'_

He continued to hold the barrier, but it became increasingly more difficult to maintain, so he quickly shut off the barrier and attempted to bolt down into one of the holes Zero made, only to be grazed slightly by another invisible strike that made him wince for a moment, giving Zero the only chance she needed. A barrage of the invisible attacks blitzed the now-defenseless Riley from every possible angle before Zero appeared at last with a Fire Blast aimed directly at Riley. Riley's eyes shot open with fear and he quickly countered the incoming attack with an Aura Sphere that, upon colliding with the Fire Blast, made both attacks explode into a plume of smoke. Sensing Zero's presence rapidly approaching, Riley landed back onto the ground and prepared his barrier again, but it wasn't enough. Zero appeared in a flash out of the smoke that had gotten caught in Riley's barrier with her feet aimed in his direction. Riley's senses flared in an attempt to let him avoid the attack, making the world appear as if it were in slow motion. However, as much as he tried to move out of the way, Zero honed in on him even faster. Faster than the eye could see, Zero impacted Riley square in the chest and sent him spiraling into a tree.

"If Offense and Defense alone don't work," Zero said with a cocky grin, "Then I'll combine them with speed. _Extreme Speed._ "

Riley chuckled and pushed himself off of the tree, brushing off some splinters that had gotten caught on his jacket. "Impressive, Zero, but it's not over yet!" He flared his Aura around himself once more and prepared to charge at Zero, but noticed something out of the corner of his eye. He stopped the flow of Aura around him and looked up at the now-orange sky.

"...Scratch that. I think we got a bit carried away."

Zero looked up at the sky as well. "...So what? Let's finish this!"

Riley shook his head, "Think of it as me surrendering."

"Surrendering?"

"It means I'm giving up, and so you get the win."

Zero furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "Does...that mean I stop?"

Riley nodded, "It does. I know I've said I'd given you your final lesson two lessons ago, but let me give you one last one before I send you back to Serena and the others, and this one is very important. It could save you from...going back to your past self."

Zero awaited this last piece of information eagerly, especially when she saw the fierce seriousness in his gaze.

"...If your opponent surrenders, no matter how terrible they are, if you've defeated them and they give up and can no longer fight...do not kill them. _Never_ kill them. If you kill them after they give up willingly, then you are a murderer, and you will never be able to forget their face in your dreams. It will haunt you for as long as you live."

Zero pondered his words intently, then asked, "...How do you know this?"

"...Take my word for it."

Zero stared at him blankly, as if judging him. Then, she remembered. The faces of her Pokemon Friends pleading for their lives before she cut them down. Many of them refused to fight her and begged for their lives, but she cut them down all the same. She winced at the memory and vigorously shook her head to rid herself of it, then she replied. "...I understand. You're right."

"...Good," Riley said, allowing a smile to appear back onto his face after an intense period of silence and that endlessly-serious look plastered on his face, "Then we're done for the day. Head back over to Serena for the next part of your training. You'll just be sparring with the other Pokemon. Sorry I kept you for so long. We were supposed to be done an hour ago."

Zero shook her head, "It's no problem, but…" She looked down with embarrassment, "...How do I get back there?"

Riley chuckled and turned back to face Ash, who had been staring out into space for a while now after watching Zero and Riley's fight, "Figure it out. Retrace our steps or something. Think of it as an extra test or something."

Zero wanted to retort, but knew that she would get nowhere, so she simply pouted and turned to walk away. Then, an idea struck her. If she used Gust or another wind move to fly, she could spot the group easier. Giggling deviously, she hopped into the air and summoned Gust beneath her feet to keep her airborne.

"Hey, that's cheating!" Riley called out to her. Zero retorted with, "Says the guy who was using Aura to fly during our fight!" and promptly flew away without letting Riley retort.

Riley tried to be angry, but could only let out an exasperated sigh followed by a chuckle. "Well, it's at least nice to see her coming out of her shell a bit."

He turned around a snapped his fingers in Ash's face to snap him out of his stupor. "Hey, up and attem."

Ash blinked and stumbled backwards. "Wh-what? Huh?"

"Zero finished up with her training," Riley told him, "But you still owe me an Aura Sphere and until those skies turn black, I'll keep you here as long as it takes."

Ash's eye twitched. "...Goodbye, sweet dinner, it was nice knowing you…"

…

Zero, with an ear-to-ear smile plastered on her face, stared down at the world below her in awe. At her height , she could see almost anything. She saw Pokemon running around and playing, Flying-Type Pokemon, like their name suggests, flying around beneath her, and trees for what seemed like miles. She also saw a silver glint in the trees out of the corner of her eye that seemed like it was following her, but the moment she looked at it, it vanished. It didn't take her too long to spot Serena and the other Pokemon either, and it looked as if there was some kind of massive free-for-all going on between them all. Eager to join in, she began descending down until something else caught her eye. A little ways away from Serena and the others, she could see what appeared to be a boy and a Pokemon fighting another Pokemon. Ash had told her about Pokemon battles before, and she saw them in his memories as well. Her interest peaked and so she dipped away from Serena's group and floated down towards the boy.

...Though, as she began to land, it didn't look so much as a Pokemon Battle as much as it looked like some poor Pokemon was getting mercilessly beaten by the boy's larger Pokemon. Hesitant to engage the situation, she simply floated a few feet above them to gauge what was happening, as well as hear what the boy was saying.

"Tch. You weak, useless dumb little RAT! What kind of Eevee are you anyways?! I caught you because I thought Eevee's were supposed to become strong and cool like Umbreon, but you're too weak to even fight! Rhydon, give it another Mega Kick."

Zero couldn't believe what she was seeing. A poor, Eevee that looked tiny even for its' kind was being ruthlessly beaten down by that boy and his Rhydon. The Eevee attempted to run away, but whenever it got back onto its' feet, the Rhydon was told to Mega Kick it again and again, sending it flying helplessly all over the place.

The Eevee whimpered weakly with tears in its' eyes. "V-vee.." It cried, as if begging for mercy, only to receive an umpteenth Mega Kick to its' abdomen that sent it hurling into a tree. Zero's vision flashed back yet again to the laboratory where she was created.

" _V-veee!" A small brown Fox-like Pokemon huddled against the cold, steel corner of the room she was contained in. Surrounding it, hundreds of Pokemon corpses, some mutilated and dismembered beyond recognition, lay in piles on top of one another. The cause was Project Zero. The Eevee couldn't fathom why she was doing this though. The last time Eevee had seen her, she was the kindest person Eevee had ever met. She had always loved playing with all of the other Pokemon in the lab and had refused to hurt them, but now…._

" _VEEE!" The Eevee cried desperately to try and reach out to her friend, but to no avail. Project Zero, now splattered in the crimson of her countless victims' innards, snapped her gaze towards the terrified creature that had once been her friend. She took one step towards them, reached out her hand, and turned it into nothing more than a stain on the wall. The booming laughter of Dr. Charon echoed throughout her mind._

Unable to stand the memory any longer, Zero bolted down at the Rhydon and, before either the Pokemon or its' trainer could see anything, sent a Mega Kick of her own with such force that the rock plating that covered Rhydon's chest shattered, and the rhinoceros-Pokemon was sent hurtling into the forest nearby.

"W-what in the hell?!" The trainer cried out in surprise, "What happened to Rhydon?!"

Zero closed her eyes, let out a long-winded breath, and turned to face him. She tried to remember, _forced_ herself to remember her teachings from just earlier that day. ' _Don't kill him,'_ She told herself, ' _Just get him to stop,'_ Without opening her eyes as to not shock the trainer, she spoke to him, "Why...why are you doing this?!"

The trainer scowled, "Why?! Who the hell do you think you are, kid?! And where did you even come from?! Brats like you need to learn to respect their elders and mind your own damned business!"

Zero took a step towards him and repeated herself, "Why are you doing this?"

"Tch," The trainer spat, "Fine. If you must know…" He pointed at the Eevee behind Zero, who was coughing and struggling to get back on it's feet. "That piece of shit behind you is nothing more than a useless weakling who doesn't deserve to be on my team. I wasted a Luxury Ball on that thing so I could get an Umbreon, but that shitty Eevee is too weak to fight!"

He shrugged with a sadistic chuckle, "Ordinarily, I would just abandon that weakling with some lame excuse like "Oooh, don't worry! I'll be back for you, so just wait here!" and then leave their sorry asses behind to starve to death for all I care. Haha! It works every time."

Zero took another step forward, which the trainer didn't notice.

"But," He continued, his scowl returning, "Not this time. That Luxury Ball cost me two-thousand Pokedollars, and I'm not letting it go to waste! That piece of shit Eevee is going to evolve tonight, or it's going to die! So, get your dumb little bratty nose out of my way!"

"Or what?" Zero hissed, earning a mocking laugh out of the trainer that reminded Zero far too much of that bastard Charon's laugh.

"Or what?! I'll tell you what!" The trainer took out his remaining five Pokemon and released them. In flashes of light, Venusaur, Arbok, Alakazam, Onix and Primeape appeared from the trainer's Pokemon with sadistic grins on their faces. "You'll end up just like that Eevee! I don't care if you're a kid or not! _No one_ crosses Damian: the greatest trainer in Kanto!"

Zero's eyes widened at that name. When she intermingled memories with Ash this morning, she distinctly remembered that name in particular; the name of a brat who left his Charmander to die out in the rain because he deemed it too weak. Were it not for Ash, that Charmander, now a proud and mighty Charizard, would have died long ago because of this selfish trainer.

Zero scowled for a second, but a sadistic grin that made Damian and his Pokemon momentarily flinch replaced her scowl soon after. "Damian, huh?" She cracked her knuckles. "I'm going to enjoy this."

Damian growled angrily in response, "Pshh! Alright, boys, teach this dumbass kid a lesson! Trash 'em!"

"Oh?" Asked Zero, "You're not even gonna wait until your Rhydon returns, or even bother to check on it?"

"I don't know what happened to it, but if it lost, then it's not worth keeping around!"

Zero frowned. "I see. So you throw away your Pokemon at your leisure, but what will happen when all of your Pokemon lose? Will you throw them all away and start over? Seems like a flawed plan to me."

"That'll never happen! I'm the greatest Pokemon Trainer in Kanto! I'll never lose!"

"Tell that to Ash," Zero shot back, causing Damian to flinch momentarily.

"W-what?!"

Zero flared up her fists with brilliant blue lightning and rocketed at the nearest of Damian's Pokemon, which happened to be Arbok.

"What the hell?!" Damian exclaimed in shock, "What is this girl?! Arbox, use Poison Sting to stop her!" The purple cobra-like Pokemon obeyed its' master and released a flurry of poison-coated needles from its mouth, which Zero stopped by spitting a Fire Blast from her own mouth that tore through the needles with ease and blasted the snake dead in the face. From the smoke of the explosion, Zero emerged and clocked the Arbok over the head with a Thunder Punch, knocking it into the ground where it laid still. She felt a pang of guilt from harming it, but shook it off for the time being.

"Poison sting, huh?" Zero mused, "I wasn't taught that one. Maybe I should give it a try."

Damian and his team collectively stepped back in fear after seeing one of their members struck down in an instant. "What in the…" But, an idea suddenly struck him. "She's using Pokemon attacks, so she must be some kind of rare talking Pokemon!" A devious grin emerged on his face. "New plan! Turns out the girl's actually just another Pokemon that learned how to talk! I should have guessed from that pitch-black body of hers. It's only her face that looks human!"

He took out a yellow and black Poke-Ball. Or in this case, an Ultra Ball. "We'll catch it! Looks like that useless Eevee was good for something after all! I'll be getting one hell of a prize!" With the wave of his arm, he sent out orders to his team. "Alakazam! Immoblize her with Psychic! Venusaur, use Stun Spore! Primeape, while she's immobilized, use Dynamic Punch repeatedly to weaken her. Onix, you charge up a Hyper Beam at maximum power and fire it at that thing once Primeape's done!"

His four remaining Pokemon roared in unison after receiving their new orders, then rushed off to attack. Zero suddenly found herself unable to move as some kind of invisible force began squeezing her from every angle. "What's...happening?!" She cried out between clenched teeth. "I can't...move!" She'd barely had any Psychic Types be used for her experimentation, at least compared to the others, so she had nearly no experience with this type of attack, and no idea how to guard against it either. Damian's Venusaur shot a yellow fog of spores from the large flower on its back, paralyzing Zero as well. The fog seeped its' way onto every inch of her as well, so when it no longer clouded the air, Primeape stormed over towards her with a sadistic sneer.

Zero tried to scowl defiantly at it, but the paralyzing effect of Venusaur's Stun Spore coupled with Alakzam's Psychic kept her from moving in the slightest. A myriad of attack names came to her mind and she tried her hardest to summon them to her aid, but the paralysis kept her locked from doing anything. The Primeape cocked back its' arm and shot it at full power, directly at Zero's abdomen. She would have winced or cried out in pain, but, even still, her immobilization stopped her from doing even that.

Visions of the laboratory flashed in her vision with every punch. She first saw a series of needles containing the extracts of countless Pokemon slicing into her skin, then a vision of her being trapped in a room where fire seemingly-endlessly barraged her from underneath. Then, the memory of the scientists fastening her to a table came next. As they walked out, the room filled with those evil people, the one's in black suits with red R's. They grabbed hold of her and beat her, laughed at her, subjected her to every violation and torture imaginable. With every punch that Primeape delivered to her, another one of these memories flooded her vision. Over, and over and over she was subjected to brief flashbacks of those tortures from the lab of her creation she'd only just escaped today.

The Primeape finally stopped after more punches than she could count. Damian laughed, causing yet another flashback to the lab. Of her creator laughing; always laughing. Through all of her tortures, he was laughing endlessly, and never stopped. She could not stand it any longer. She could feel the hate and rage return, scouring every inch of her body. Her blood boiled, she bared her fangs against the effects of the paralysis, and fired a swirling dark mass of energy from her mouth at the Alakazam holding her in place, causing it to disappear in a blast of smoke. She fell to the ground on her knees, where she stayed motionlessly. Her face was coated in a dark shadow. Damian's cocky grin faltered as his Alakazam suddenly flew back out of the smoke and landed somewhere behind him.

Primeape's eyes widened as it watched its' comrade fall, then turned around and charged at Zero in a blaze of blinded rage. It pumped back for yet another Dynamic Punch aimed for her head. Zero's arm shot up and caught it. She allowed her eyelids to rise at last and stared up, animalistic fury plastered on her face, and stared death with her endlessly-black eyes directly into the now-terrified Primeape's eyes.

" _...No more mercy…No more holding back…"_

Primeape attempted to step back and run away from Zero, but she gripped onto his fist relentlessly. The sickening crunch of breaking bones was followed swiftly by Primeape's agonized cry in pain, but Zero refused to release it. As the smoke from Zero's Dark Pulse cleared, Damian could now see his Primeape's hand being ruthlessly crushed and scowled.

"Onix, fire off that Hyper Beam! Venusaur, use Solar Beam too!"

The two remaining able Pokemon of Damian's team fired off a massive orange beam and a green one respectively aimed towards Zero and, by extension, Primeape, who was now desperately crying and pleading for mercy from the girl who it had mercilessly beaten into submission just previously. Zero faced towards the two oncoming attacks and held up her free hand in their coming wake. Without batting an eye, Zero blocked the attacks with a Light Screen and threw the Primeape away from her into the nearby forest.

" _You would intentionally harm your Pokemon to attack me…? You really are scum."_

Zero stepped forward towards Damian and his two remaining Pokemon, who all looked absolutely mortified. The combination of their two strongest attacks were effortlessly blocked, after all. With every step Zero took towards them, she began releasing more and more energy. A swirl of fire, then ice, then lightning, then water, and more surrounded Zero in a cyclone. It might have looked beautiful if the only witnesses to this showcase of raw power weren't practically choking on their own terror more and more with every step she took towards them. With the single wave of her hand, Onix and Venusaur were sent flying away alongside the debris of whatever was unfortunate enough to be in the way of the attack.

" _And then there was one…"_

Damian choked back his fear as much as he could and stepped back away from Zero with every step she took towards him. He stared at the Ultra Ball in his hands, as if trying to decide if it was worth it any longer. Shaking his head and scowling, he shouted to Zero, "You may have beaten my useless team, but I'm not leaving here without my prize! Go, Ultra Ball!" Damian brought his hand back and pitched the ball like a baseball player at Zero. To both of their surprise, the ball actually opened upon contact with her, and she was sucked inside the darkness of the ball.

Zero awoke in what seemed to be a black void. She looked around her and down at the endless blackness, but found nothing. Was this the interior of a Pokeball? It was almost suffocating. No wonder Ash's Pikachu couldn't stand being in these things. How most other Pokemon could stand it was beyond her. She heard Damian's voice from above and looked up to see that the top of the Pokeball was actually similar to a screen. As she floated upwards, she could make out the surroundings, only now, everything outside looked much larger. She surmised that it was since she was shrunken down to fit inside this thing.

"Alright!" Zero heard Damian exclaim giddily, "I caught this thing! It may have cost me the rest of my team, but who needs them now that I have this?!"

His voice was like nails on a chalkboard to her. She'd be damned to let Damian of all people control her. She placed her hand on the screen and found that there was hardly any resistance. Raising an eyebrow, she wondered why any Pokemon would willingly stay within one of these. Or maybe there was more resistance when it was dealing with weaker Pokemon. With a mighty blast of flames from her hands, she tore open the top of the ball and escaped.

Just as Damian was about to pick the ball containing Zero up, it exploded violently and he was knocked backwards a few feet, and onto his back. "W-what?!" Damian exclaimed, "There's no way! The ball stopped shaking! How could she escape?!"

" _The answer is simple,"_

Zero stood back to her full height from within the spiraling violent flames and stared Damian down, showcasing the endless voids that were her eyes, sending a deathly chill down his spine.

" _I cannot be contained. Not by you...not by anyone! My days of serving others against my will is over! Now I decide my own fate!"_

Damian desperately attempted to scramble to his feet and run away, but he was knocked flat onto his face by shockwave from Zero.

" _You're the worst. You catch Pokemon exclusively for your own ends and discard them once they fail to meet your impossible expectations."_

Damian resorted to trying to crawl away on his hands and knees, but Zero's pace outsped his and she was quickly gaining ground.

" _Someone like you doesn't deserve to have Pokemon at his side. I spared yours, you know, even against what the voices in my head tell me."_

Frantically, Damian grabbed at a rock and threw it at Zero. It exploded from the heat surrounding her.

" _Do you know what they tell me? They tell me to kill. They tell me to destroy everything. They've told me that for years, and only now have I gained the strength to deny them."_

Panicked tears welled up in Damian's eyes. He scrambled onto his back and kicked away from Zero as much as he could. "G-get AWAY FROM ME!"

" _But you know what? I've been thinking...This one time...just this once...I should listen again. Just to send them off with a smile, y'know?"_

Damian screamed and tried to get onto his feet once again,and this time, he was successful. Zero ceased the flames surrounding her and, in the blink of an eye, grabbed hold of Damian by the throat and pinned him against a tree. With her free hand, she summoned a Focus Blast and held it up near his face, eliciting a terrified scream.

" _You should lament upon the ways you treat your Pokemon in hell. And when my time is up someday, well, with everything I've done up until today, I'll probably be following you."_

She held the glowing white ball as close to his face as she could without touching him.

" _Good night."_

She brought back the Focus Blast behind her head and waited while Damian uselessly struggled against her clutch around his throat. She let him. She intentionally let him experience his final, terrified moments for a painful amount of time. She would make him drown to death in his own fear long before she gave him it's embrace. After what must have seemed like hours, she drove the attack forward and aimed at his head. He didn't even have time to scream, and shut his eyes.

…

…

…

Damian slowly dared to open his eyes. Zero had stopped the attack just before it made contact with his head. She hissed abruptly and pulled away from him, letting him sink to the floor and clutch at his throat and cough for the air he'd been starved of.

" _You should consider yourself lucky,"_ Zero spat as she turned away from him, " _A dear friend of mine told me just before I met you to not kill someone who has no chance of fighting back._ " She shook her head, " _After meeting you, I disagree with him a little...but…"_ Visions of her Pokemon Friends lying dead at her feet appeared before her for a split second once more. " _...I've already taken far too many lives. In my blinded rage, I killed many friends of mine...Now I've been freed of my rage, or at least most of it...I don't want to return to the way I used to be...so, get out of my sight."_

Damian, needing no further incentive, scrambled to his feet and fled into the dark woods of their surroundings. Zero looked back and noticed that he'd left all of his Pokemon behind. Hopefully that meant he'd never dare to become a trainer ever again. With a deep sigh, she allowed her tenseness to fade and relaxed herself. It was then she'd noticed that the Eevee from before had ended up collapsing, so she quickly ran to its aid. She knelt down beside it and used Heal Pulse, one of the first moves Riley taught her, on he collapsed Pokemon. It took a few minutes, but the wounds eventually did recede and the Eevee began to stir once more.

Zero closed her eyes to avoid frightening the small brown Pokemon and smiled down at it. "You're all right now," She reassured the Eevee with a soothing tone to her voice, "I saved you. That trainer won't ever harm you again." The Eevee's eyes welled up in happiness and it nuzzled the young girl affectionately on the cheek, purring a "Veeeee".

"Maybe it would be best if I took you back with me," Zero said, picking up the small Pokemon, "I doubt this forest is very safe, and I have a big group of good friends. They...rescued me, so I think I should rescue you too."

The small Eevee didn't even hesitate. It jumped out of her hands and smiled brightly at her, running around her in circles eagerly and causing the young girl to giggle. "Right," She said, pointing over to her left, "I think they're over this way, so we should start heading over now that it's getting dark. I just know they'll love you!"

The Eevee chirped happily and, eager to meet its' new family began running off in the direction Zero pointed towards.

"H-hey wait!" Zero called out to it, "Wait for me! It's dangerous!"

The Eevee stopped in its' tracks and looked back at her, wagging its' tail. "Vee! Eevee!" It chirped at her, as if telling her to hurry up. Zero stood back up and began making her way over to the Eevee. "Geez, you're really eager aren't ya? Well, don't worry! When we get there, we'll have nice food, a warm place to sleep and the other Pokemon will help protect you from guys like Damian. And Ash, Serena and Riley are really nice people too! I think you'd like them! Oh, there's also-"

 _KRIIIING!_

A silver flash rushed across Eevee suddenly, followed by the ringing of metal. Eevee stumbled forwards shakily for a few steps, then stopped. It tried to turn around to face Zero, but collapsed halfway. Zero's blood ran cold. "Eevee!" She called out to it and attempted to run to its' aid, but another silver flash rushed in and dropped something green and metallic next to the collapsed Pokemon. Right as Zero made it to the collapsed young Pokemon, the green object detonated and sent her careening away and onto her back.

Zero grit her teeth and tried to force herself back onto her feet when she began to hear clapping from in front of her. Out from the smoke, a shadowed figure emerged before her. It was hard to make out its' figure since it was coated in a nearly pitch black armor. They had a sheath for a sword on their back, and a mask with a dark, intimidating visor covering their face. What's more, there was an all-too-familiar patch he had over his heart. The same kind Dr. Charon always had on: It was a picture of a blue explosion in the middle of space, surrounded by other stars.

"I'm impressed," The figure spoke, still clapping, "I had heard from our master that you were powerful, but as I watched you struggle against that boy's team of Pokemon, I began to doubt his words. But, it seems like my worries were for naught after all."

He spread his arms outward to his sides and laughed, "But then you revealed your true power! Once you had abandoned your worthless morals that Aura Guardian taught you, you were able to strike him down without batting an eye."

He stepped forward and offered his hand to her, "But, that ending was terribly disappointing. You could have finished him off easily. Let us go back to our master. He will rid your mind of those pathetic platitudes that so-called Aura Guardian filled your head with, and together we will show you how to properly rise to your greatest potential!"

Zero got back onto her feet and snarled at the dark figure. "Who the hell are you?! What did you do to Eevee?!"

The figure let his arm fall back to his side. "Who I am is not important. As far as you are concerned, I am but an envoy of our master's will. As for that disgusting filth you call Eevee, it's nothing more than a burnt stain coating the ground behind me. Why, did you care for it? What made that one in particular so special compared to the thousands of others slain by your hand?"

Zero let out an enraged roar and charged at the figure, only for him to disappear from sight. She whipped her head around furiously to find him, but he was nowhere to be found. She felt a tap on her shoulder and as she whipped around to let loose with a Fire Punch, she was kicked square in the face, sending her backward, but she'd managed to stay on her feet that time and slid backwards.

"There's no need for that," The figure chided, crossing his arms as he appeared in a blur once more, "After all, we are like siblings, you and I. We are both creations whose purpose is to serve our master's will."

"I serve no one!" Zero shot back, "You're with that monster Charon aren't you?! I'll never go back to his side, so get the hell out of my face!"

The figure shook his head. "I am not referring to that madman, and I assure you, if you come along with me, we can personally hunt him down together. Our master has deemed him no longer useful now that your creation is complete."

He extended his hand to her once more. "You'd like that wouldn't you? A chance for vengeance against that man for all the suffering he's caused you? Alone, you may never find him again, but our master knows everything. He can find that madman in an instant, and together we can strike him down."

"Like hell I'd believe you!" Zero shot back, "Especially not after what you did to Eevee!"

The figure shrugged. "That waste of space you call Eevee is nothing more than a weak link. It would hold you down from true potential and the potential of mankind. There is no longer room in this world for Pokemon."

"You're insane!" Cried Zero, "This world needs Pokemon as it needs all life! It can't survive without it!"

"Who taught you that? The Aura Guardian?" The dark figure shook his head. "That man is a fool. An imbecile. He's taught you nothing but lies!"

"How would you know?!" Demanded Zero, "He's taught me so much already! About how life and the world are all interconnected! And he taught me to use my powers!"

"I know because I've been watching your every move ever since you walked into this forest. Ever since you escaped Charon's lab, I have been keeping close eyes on you until you were isolated so that I could reveal to you the truth of your existence, and your purpose in life! I know these things because they are identical to my own. You were created by Charon so you could be made into a tool for my master's use, just as I was tempered into one. Your purpose is to be a weapon at his disposal so that our master can accomplish his goals!"

"Who even is this "master" of yours?!" Zero demanded, "I will _never_ be a weapon for the likes of him! I don't know his goals, but if he's anything like Charon, then you and him can go rot in hell for all I care."

" _Be careful what you say,"_ The figure warned, " _You can direct any insults you wish at me. They mean nothing to me, but I will not tolerate you insulting our master._ "

Zero crouched into a fighting position and sparked her hands, one in fire and the other with lightning. "Try me."

The dark figure reached for his sheath and pulled out a curved ebony blade. "I was there to watch over your creation in that lab over the years, and I will be more than happy to assist in your deconstruction. Master can fix whatever I do to you anyways."

The armored man disappeared from sight and sliced at Zero's neck at speeds faster than the eye could perceive. Just as his sword was about to cut into her throat, Zero summoned a Protect around herself for a split second to deflect the attack. The figure disappeared into the forest afterward and so Zero gave chase, activating Extremespeed to pursue him.

The two clashed amidst the surrounding dense, dark forest, rushing from tree to tree as nothing more than blurs that clashed continuously as they leapt from tree to tree. They raced throughout the forest, slicing anything that came between the two of them into ribbons. To anything that might have been nearby, it looked as if a storm of white streaks was tearing the forest to pieces, followed by loud clashes of metal that drowned the area in screeching.

"Impressive," The dark figure commended, "Your speed is impeccable, but…" He appeared before Zero instantaneously, with his sword aiming down at her, "You lack skill. You're nothing but pure power!" The mysterious man slashed Zero across the chest and kicked her down, her momentum causing her to barrel through a row of trees until she came to a crashing halt.

The man blurred above her and aimed his sword down, pointing the edge of his sword at her back. He raised the weapon above his head and thrusted it down down to impale the young girl, but Zero suddenly pushed herself off the ground and front-flipped, using her leg to kick the sword into a tree behind her. She then followed up by activating Extremespeed again and aimed her fist at his visor, but he blitzed out of the way and retrieved his sword once more. Zero whipped around and shot a Flame Burst from her fingertip at the armored man, which he countered by slicing directly through it and allowing the embers to split off into the trees. A leaf began sizzling from the heat.

"Impressive!" The man exclaimed, "Looks like those years of torture weren't a waste after all!"

Zero scowled at him murderously. "Tell me your name! That way, I'll know what to put on your headstone!"

The armored man simply laughed at her threat. "Yes! There's that murderous intent! Now, if you must know, my real name no longer means anything. I've abandoned it long ago, but the name our master has bestowed onto me is "Ryder".

He shot forward at Zero again, slicing up at her from below. Zero whipped out of the way and tried to counter with a Blaze Kick, but to her surprise, he grabbed the kick, unperturbed by the flames, and planted her into the ground, still holding onto her foot to keep her from moving out of the way as he prepared another downward stab. Zero quickly spat a Fire Blast at him, forcing him to jump out of the way.

As he leapt back, Ryder flipped around and pushed off of a nearby tree with his feet to stab at Zero again. This time, he was successful. Zero cried out in agony as Ryder's sword sliced through her leg. Not giving her any respite, Ryder heaved his sword over his head, with Zero still attached to it, and brought it down with a thunderous crash, slamming Zero into the ground on her back. He pulled the sword out of her leg and planted his own onto her chest to pin her down, then pointed his sword at her throat.

"We're done here." he announced. With a swift motion, he planted the sword through her throat and swiftly pulled it back, spinning the blood off of it and then sheathing it once more. Zero laid there, eyes open in panicked shock as she coughed and sputtered helplessly for air, then stopped suddenly, unmoving. With his mission complete, the man pulled out a small radio device and clicked a button.

"Master," He spoke through the device, "I have successfully neutralized the project. She put up a fight, but I was able to take her down without much trouble."

The voice of The Man replied soon after. " _Excellent work as always. The rest of your platoon just arrived and delivered your findings from last night as well. You truly are my greatest asset. Now, bring Project Zero here at once. There is much work to be done._ "

"I am not worthy of such praise," Ryder said with a bow, "Thank you, master. I will deliver her to you at once."

He pocketed the device and turned to face his master's newest prize, only to see that she had disappeared.

"What the-?!"

He was cut off by a blow from above that knocked him over and sent the radio device spinning out of his grasp. The Man demanded to know what happened, but was silenced when a Fire Blast from above destroyed the radio. Zero dropped from a branch above Ryder's head and sent him flying away with a Blaze Kick to his ribs. Ryder quickly got to his feet and, though his face was covered by his mask, Zero could feel his glare.

Wordlessly, he reached for his sword and drew it out so fast that it lit up the air around him for a split second. "How are you still alive?!"

"Heal Pulse," She replied simply.

The two readied their battle positions once more. There was no further need for words. The two blitzed at each other, creating a blinding array of streaks with each of their countless clashes and dragging up loads of debris with them . They rose up above the trees and into the dark night sky, the moon now illuminating their battle. Zero shot a Flamethrower from her hand at Ryder, to which he pushed off a piece of debris to dodge at and sliced at Zero from above. Deftly, Zero summoned a Reflect screen to block the attack. Ryder shattered it instantaneously, but was still left open to a counterattack. The young girl shot forward at Ryder with a Mega Punch aimed at his gut, and so he countered by hopping over the attack and slashing at Zero's back.

Zero hissed in pain, but managed to mostly ignore it and blasted a discharge at him that he had no means to escape from. He grunted in pain as the electricity wreaked havoc on his armor and body, and so Zero followed up with an array of Poison Stings from her fingertips. They weren't very effective…

Ryder easily blocked the attack with his metal suit and sliced Zero diagonally cleanly down her obsidian-colored chest and drawing blood. Zero collapsed onto her knee, unable to withstand the pain silently and she cried out. The man in black kicked her off the piece of debris, but she quickly undid most of the damage with a heal pulse and, using Flamethrower from her feet to keep herself airborne and flying at Ryder to deliver a Mega Punch. Ryder bent backwards, but the blow still glanced his chin and chipped off a small part of his suit.

Enraged, Ryder grabbed Zero's arm and slammed her through the flying piece of debris they were occupying, sending her careening into another one. He followed up with a downward stab that his enemy just barely avoided, and she kicked up at his gut to get him away from her.

Zero shot up at Ryder and, summoning crackling, green, spiking energy around her hands, used Leaf Blade to try and sever his neck. He blocked with his blade, sending sparks flying around them. They stared murder into each other's faces. Zero's endless voids met Ryder's faceless, empty mask amidst the moonlight, and then they clashed again. Zero's Leaf Blades and Ryder's long, ebony blade sparked against one another with a loud metallic ringing. They struck at each other again and again in a desperate struggle to gain some kind of slight upper hand, but neither could find a weakness in each other's attacks.

Finally, one of Zero's Leaf Blades glanced Ryder's sword and sliced across his mask while Ryder managed to cut a clean slash across Zero's cheek. Ryder looked at his reflection through the metal of his arm. Zero wiped her cheek and glanced at the blood on her hand. The both of them shook it off, stared down each other again, and continued.

Zero raised her arm over her head, summoning crackling white energy that took the shape of a ball, becoming a Focus Blast attack. She heaved the attack at Ryder who cleanly sliced through the attack, cutting it in two. The two pieces of the Focus Blast exploded behind Ryder, and then he ducked down to slash at Zero's legs. In return, she used Mega Kick to deflect the blow and sent Ryder's blade spinning away into another piece of falling debris, but at the cost of a nasty cut across the front of her legs that made her hiss in pain and stumble. Ryder snapped his attention over to the blade and leapt up at it, but Zero fired a Flamethrower that destroyed the falling rock and sent both Ryder and his blade falling back down into the forest.

Ryder cursed and pushed off another rock, managing to catch the blade at the cost of a rough collision with the ground. Zero crouched down from on top the piece of falling debris, tipped it over so that she was facing Ryder,and rocketed down at him with an Ice Punch. Ryder stared up at her and, without moving from his spot, sliced up at Zero and causing her to skid past him. Whipping around, Ryder then hurled his sword at Zero and managed to impale her arm into a tree. She winced and forced back a pained scream. Ryder kicked off the ground, flipped forward so his feet were facing her, and kicked her through the tree. He quickly grabbed his sword out of the air and attacked Zero with a flurry of blade swings at speeds she couldn't counter, then finished with a kick to her ribs.

Zero winced in pain, clutching at her gut. Like she had always been every day of her life, she was now coated in blood. Only now, for the first time she could remember, it was her own. She roared and spastically threw Focus Blast after Focus Blast at her enemy, to which he deftly ducked and dodged around every single one while appearing as if he was simply walking towards her.

She growled and summoned her Leaf Blades around her hands again. Ryder appeared before her faster than she could react, and she tried to jab at him. Her blade never met its' mark, while his dug its' way through her stomach. Her face contorted in agony and she couldn't help but let out a scream to match it. To add insult to injury, Ryder twisted the blade in her stomach. Black tears streamed freely from the young girl's void-like eyes. Finally, he pulled the sword from her, but made sure to be agonizingly slow to extend her suffering for as long as possible.

As he pulled the last of his blade from her stomach, Zero collapsed onto her face and clutched at her stomach to heal it, but Ryder swiped up at her hands and pinned them against the tree with his sword. He kicked her right in her chest where he'd stabbed her to further her suffering, eliciting an agonized cry of pain that was all-too satisfying for Ryder.

"You're strong," He admitted, "Far stronger than I...but…" He shook his head. "You are unskilled. Untempered. You're like a blade fresh from the forge. You could kill anyone, but when met with a truly tempered sword in combat, you break like a twig."

He kicked her again. "Your power alone could never compare to my skill and speed. That is what our master will change. Once you become his weapon, he will turn you into a perfect tool for his use. Your potential will be fully realized!"

"I-I…"Zero sputtered weakly, "I...won't…"

He kicked her open wound once more. "You won't have a choice. You never did. When you were completed, you were his. Before you were even created, you were his. From the very moment you were nothing more than an idea, you belonged to him."

He pulled his sword out of the tree and let her fall to the ground, only now she was too weak to reach for her wound.

"It's over," Announced Ryder, "You won't have to feel that pain for much longer. Master will surely repair any damage I could possibly inflict on you."

Zero pathetically attempted to move her hand, to which Ryder stamped down on it with his boot. Black tears dotted the ground. For as long as she could remember, she knew nothing but agony and hatred. She was forced to slay her own friends for the amusement of her creators, and only now had she received the freedom from that hell...but it had only lasted a day. One measly day was the only respite she'd gotten from her torment. She remembered the memories Ash had shared with her. The wondrous journeys he had and the friends he'd laughter, the happiness, the experiences she'd never know outside of the memories of someone else. She remembered her friends. Her saviors. They had risked their lives for her and did everything in their power to save her from herself, but now…? It was for naught. Useless, useless, useless USELESS _USELESS!_ What had it all been for?! Was she damned by some force that refused to let her find peace and happiness?! Zero clutched at the grass beneath her hand furiously. It can't end like this. After only one day?! Zero's vision flashed to the laboratory once again. This time, she was in her pod. She awoke suddenly, and Dr. Charon followed by some pitch-black figure came into the room.

 _Dr. Charon entered the laboratory basement, cackling heartily. "Here she is!" He exclaimed to the dark figure behind him. "The greatest artificial lifeform ever created!"_

" _A young girl?" The figure asked, "You must be joking. You expect me to show_ _ **this**_ _to Him?"_

 _The dark figure reached for something behind him, and the mad doctor quickly stopped him for fear of his life. "Wait, wait, wait!" He cried fearfully, "She's more than just a girl! Right now, she contains the DNA of almost every Pokemon both extinct and living! We've been liquifying hundreds of Pokemon by the day and injecting them into her! She can use over two-hundred documented Pokemon attacks right now, and she'll only get stronger!"_

 _The figure relaxed in response to this information. "I see. Then, how is her combat sense? Her aggression?"_

 _The doctor continued. "Well, we're still...working on it right now. It's difficult to get her to attack the other Pokemon. We believe she feels some natural kinship towa-"_

" _I don't give a damn about what she feels," The figure snapped at him, "Master wants a weapon, and you'll give him one." The figure took out an object and pointed it at Dr. Charon, causing him to back up in fear. "Do whatever it takes to get her to fight. If you can't, I can find someone who will, and you will no longer be useful."_

" _N-no, please! I'll do it! Anything it takes! I'll do everything I can to turn her into the weapon!" Charon pleased as he fell onto his knees._

 _The figure hesitated for a moment, then sheathed the object. "You'd better." Then he walked away._

 _The doctor shuffled over to Zero's pod, breathing heavily. "You...I won't die because of you! You hear me?!* He pounded his fists on the pod. "I'll break you! I'll fuckin' break you, dammit! I won't die yet!"_

Zero's eyes shot open, and she pushed herself off the ground. Gone was the terrified face of a young girl on the verge of death. In her empty eyes, only pure, beast-like malice remained.

"Hmph," Ryder exclaimed mockingly, "Still got some fight left in you?" He swiped at Zero, but to his shock, she caught the blade. Her grip on it threatened to break it as it creaked and groaned under the pressure. He quickly pulled the blade away from her and got in a battle stance. Zero stared down at the gaping hole in her chest and placed her hand over it, activating Heal Pulse once more. Ryder quickly went to slash at her hand, but a fiery aura suddenly erupted from around her, preventing him from coming near.

Ryder cursed in frustration. It didn't take long for Zero to undo the damage done to her and removed her hand to reveal that the hole in her chest was now gone. She stared back up at Ryder. Her face contorted to match that of an enraged beast and the fiery aura around her began sweltering the surrounding area and casting it aflame. Ryder had to shield his face with his arm from the heat.

With a shrill battle shriek, Zero bolted off the ground with such force that the trees behind her were completely swept off their roots. Ryder just barely dodged the incoming blow by jumping backwards. Zero's gaze shot up at him and she took off from the ground, gripping him by the throat. She then flew across the forest floor, dragging Ryder across it so that he took the brunt of every impact they encountered. Every last tree, rock and anything else in their path.

Zero then threw Ryder forward, sending him helplessly careening into a small cliffside. Upon impact, he was embedded into it. He struggled to free himself from the rocks, but Zero would have none of it. Not after the suffering he'd put her through. She thrust both of her hands forward and sparked the entire sum of her energy around her. Every possible element and type swirled around Zero in a mass of multicolored death.

She then focused that energy into the palms of her hands. The sheer force of their constant collisions sent up mounds of debris from underneath her into the sky. An orange coating surrounded the ball of energy and Ryder looked on in helpless terror as Zero warped the world around her with her strength. Between her bared fangs, she mightily bellowed: "HYPER BEAM" and the world went red.

A colossal beam of pure unbridled raw energy burst from Zero's hands. The ground and sky were set aflame from even being near the attack. It crashed through the cliffside Ryder was embedded in as if it were tin foil. Everything in the laser's path was reduced to mere ashes instantly and without mercy. Zero could feel the attack wearing down on her, but her rage forced her to keep pushing. She had returned to the old self that Ash and Riley had tried so hard to tame. With a bellowing scream, she forced her body to keep up the attack. That bastard had to pay.

Zero's legs collapsed from underneath her, ending the cataclysmic attack. She heaved between coughs for air desperately. An intense cloud of smoke now covered the entire area, blotting out her vision of the rest of the world. She, still, seethed with rage. It hadn't subsided with the attack, no, it only became greater. With every passing second, the voices in her head continued to return, louder and louder. She clutched at her head in agony. They yelled at her, screamed at her to kill. To destroy. To burn the world and everything in it.

" _Shut up!"_ She cried, shaking her head to try and rid herself of the voices, but they only continued. They grew deafeningly loud, and Zero started losing the will to deny them.

They were quieted suddenly by the sound of clapping. From the smokescreen, a dark figure covered in metal began walking towards her. "Well done," Ryder commended, "That attack was astounding. I even thought I was dead for a second!" He blitzed at her and grabbed her by the throat, hoisting her up in the air. She gasped in pain and grabbed his arm, but lacked the strength to pry his hand from her throat. "But...your power means nothing if you can't even hit your opponent."

The voices screeched in her mind again like metal nails across a chalkboard. The urge to kill, destroy and utterly annihilate everything overtook her, and before Ryder could blink, her fist collided with his his visor at speeds unimaginably fast. She managed to shatter a fraction of it, causing him to stumble back and grip at it, dropping her in the process.

"AARGH!" He hissed. He dropped his hands down at his sides and stared murderously at his enemy. As the concentrated glass pieces fell from his visor, Zero saw Ryder's yellow eye glowing brightly due to the moonlight. He bellowed furiously and swung his sword down at her. Zero could only close her eyes and wait. The voices kept telling her to kill, but she no longer had the strength to move, and so she awaited the end of her short life.

A blue sphere shot out from the smoke. Forcing Ryder to shift his attack and instead slice the sphere in half. Out from the smoke, many figures came running. "Zero!" One of the figures called out to her. Slowly, Zero managed to raise her head at the call of her name. "...Ash…?"

Ryder scowled and sheathed his sword. "This isn't over. You cannot escape your purpose. Look at the destruction you've caused. You will always be a weapon." With those harrowing words, Ryder disappeared from sight.

"Zero!" Ash called out to her again. Zero tried to get onto her feet, but collapsed. Ash quickly caught her before she could fall.

"A...Ash?" Zero asked weakly.

Ash nodded. "Yeah, I'm here! So is everyone else! We came to look for you after you never showed up, and…" He stared down at the Zero's bloody cheek and winced. "My Arceus, what happened?!"

Riley, Serena and the other Pokemon quickly followed behind Ash. Serena gasped in horror at the state Zero was in. Countless slices decorated her body and blood, some dried and some fresh, adorned the young girl almost completely. Riley clenched his fist.

"What happened?" He demanded, "Who did this?!"

The voices kept plaguing Zero's mind, but now that Ash and the others were here, they seemed to die down. Maybe she was meant for this world after all. At least if she had them. "I…" She sputtered weakly. "There was...a man...in line...with Charon…" A vicious coughing fit cut her off suddenly, making the group wince.

"Hey, Riley, can you help her?" Serena asked.

Riley nodded and stepped towards the young girl. "Yeah, I might be able to. Grab her some water, will you?"

Serena nodded and took a bottle of water from her bag. As Riley came to heal Zero's wounds, Serena came over to her and lifted the bottle to her mouth. "Here," She said, "Drink this. It should help."

Zero happily drank the entire bottle and heaved out a satisfied sigh. Riley places his hands on Zero and allowed his Aura to flow from his arms and into Zero, mystifying her as sparks of cyan blue flames danced around her and healed her wounds. After a few minutes, Riley sighed and stood back up.

"That should do it," He said, "But I couldn't heal them all. Especially that nasty one on your cheek. That one might never go away."

Zero wandered over to a nearby puddle and stared down at her reflection. Most of her cuts were gone, but like Riley said, the slice on her cheek remained. She grit her teeth in frustration at her inability to finish him off.

Ash looked at Zero solemnly. His heart ached at seeing her like this. "Zero...what happened?"

Turning back to the group, Zero opened her mouth to tell them about Damien and, of course, Ryder, but a thought struck her suddenly.

"...I'll tell you in a sec. There's something I have to see first."

"Huh?" Serena asked, "What is it?"

"There was a Pokemon I met...I want to see if it's alright…"

Zero pointed off in a direction and and started walking, motioning to the group to follow. They simply stared at one another for a moment, shrugged and followed. As they made their way back to the clearing, the trio of trainers and their Pokemon stared in awe at the destruction they found on the way. Zero winced and clenched her eyes shut in shame.

They found the clearing at last and, having seemingly found what she was looking for, Zero perked up and started running towards something.

"Hey, wait up!" Ash called and the group began running after her.

Zero crouched down next to the Eevee and held it close. When the group spotted the fallen Pokemon, they shared a collective look of horror. Riley clenched his fist in rage, Serena had to choke back a scream, and Ash simply looked on in sorrow.

"Is...Is it…?" Serena started, but couldn't bring herself to finish the question.

Riley nodded. "...There's no Aura signature from it...it's gone…"

Ash began walking over to Zero.

Zero used Heal Pulse on the fallen creature, and while its' wounds subsided, it did not stir. She tried again. And again. And again...for minutes, she kept pumping her energy into the Eevee, refusing to give up. "Come on…" She begged, "Get up…" Her stamina began failing her again, since it hadn't been that long since her clash with Ryder. Still, she refused to give up on the young Pokemon. "Please…" Black tears began appearing from her eyes. "You can't go yet…we both just had our new lives to look forward to!" She tried, and she tried and she tried but the Eevee still remained motionless.

As Ash walked closer, he began to feel tears of his own threaten to spill out. He saw the Eevee in Zero's arms. It was small, incredibly small for its' species. He frowned sorrowfully at the thought of it being a very young one. Its' fur was almost entirely blackened and burned as well.

"Please!" Zero cried, her black tears now flowing freely, "You can't go! We can be a team! We can go on adventures, and laugh with our friends...and…" She sniffled hopelessly, "...We can be friends! F-forever…" She buried her head in its' fur and rapidly shook her head in denial. "Y-you...y-you can't go…You were just...like me...If I got a chance...why didn't you?!"

Ash put a hand on her shoulder, and to his shock, she immediately leapt up at him, hugging him tight. "I...I tried to be strong…" She sputtered, "I tried to save it...like you saved me..I tried to fight...I tried my best...but I just can't!" Her tears flowed freely. Powerful as she may be, she was still just a child. Ash looked down at her empathetically and hugged her tightly.

"I've...never had to experience something like this.." Ash said, "There have been close calls, but none of my Pokemon ever…" He wiped away a tear of his own. "I may not be able to fully understand the extent of what you're going through. I can't even begin to imagine what this must be like with everything that's happened to you...but there's always a tomorrow to look forward to." He rubbed her hair in an attempt to console her, "One day, everything will be better. Tomorrow is always brighter if we have faith it will be." Zero kept crying into his shoulder, unable to say anything, try as she might, to acknowledge what he said. Faith was something that eluded her, except for one tiny sliver she desperately gripped onto: Her rescuers.

Serena, now crying too, ran over to the two of them and shared in their hug. Pikachu and the other Pokemon soon followed suit, though Sceptile simply stayed on the outskirts of the circle. Riley looked down at Lucario.

" _Are you going to join in?_ " He asked his partner through their Auric bond.

Lucario shrugged. " _Are you?_ _Personally, I think I'll sit this one ou-ooooooOOOUT"_

Riley put his arm around Lucario's neck and forcefully dragged him into the group hug despite his protests while the rest of the group, barring Sceptile, weeped freely with Zero.

* * *

An all-too familiar dark shadow darted across the cloud-coated night sky. Necrozma, having given the leader of the so-called Legends his declaration of war, now had to relay this message to the rest of his fleet.

" _ **Xurkitree**_ ," Spoke Necrozma into the crystal on his arm. A holographic image of Necrozma's right-hand man, the wire-like Ultra Beast Xurkitree, appeared at his command.

"Yes, milord?" Xurkitree replied with a bow.

" _ **There has been a slight change of plans regarding my 'partner.'"**_

"Milord?"

" _ **The pawn has proven himself unwilling, and therefore, not useful. By having the gall to attempt to give me an order, he has forfeited his position, his life, and his world. This is no longer simply a search for those three I'm after. From this point on, we are here to destroy this worthless planet.**_ "

Xurkitree, unmoving from his bow, replied, "Understood, milord. I assume you calling me about this means that you will want to drag this one out to the end, rather than simply destroying it in an instant. Am I correct?"

Necrozma chuckled darkly, " _ **Right you are, Xurkitree. I expect you all to be here within a week. Have the Beasts ready for battle by then**_."

Xurkitree rose from his bow. "It shall be done, Lord Necrozma." With that, Necrozma's right-hand man exited the call, and the projection returned back into his master's crystal.

The Lord of the Ultra Beasts looked up from his arm and down below at the lights of the city below. A cruel eye-grin found its way onto the demon. " _ **This world's days are numbered...now let's see what I can do to entertain myself until then.**_ "

* * *

Creator- Well. Well well well. Well well welly well well welly well. At last, we have returned, and with an actual schedule at that (unless school fucks me over). Though this chapter was only half the behemoth Chapter 10 was, Chapter 10 probably should have been two chapters to begin with. I hope the action scenes in this chapter were up to par and the sad scenes tear at your heart strings. This chapter was, of course, centered around the first really fleshed out OC, Project Zero. There have been others before her, like Christopher Lee and Ryder (Who was the sword guy from the end of chapter 10) and probably more to come, but they've yet to be fully unveiled. But trust me. They'll get their time in the future. There is also the case of The Man, but is he an OC? Or is he someone we all know very well? We'll find out in time.

Hydra- Well well well it feels goooooouuuud to be speaking with all you lovely readers again. I hope you guys have all been doing great and haven't been too angry for the lack of any updates, hmm? What, was it 5? 6? 10 months? Ehh something like that lol.

Creator- Now onto the reviews of the poor souls who've stuck with us! Lookin at you, Amourshipper, you're easily our most loyal fan. We appreciate it more than you can imagine.

Hydra- Ah yes Amourshipper my good friend sorry to keep you waiting for so long hopefully this 20,000 word chapter will make you forgive us for the hiatus.

 _ **Thor94- "**_ _ **impossible to read that wall of compacted sentences"**_

Creator- Indeed. T'was nothing more than a glitch, I assure you. We have since fixed it by splitting Chapter 10 in twain.

Hydra- Yeah sorry about that, when we had originally uploaded the chapter. I guess it was way too long so the site couldn't handle it and the result was that huge mess of sentences.

 _ **Amourshipper35- "**_ _ **Welcome back I liked seeing Ash and Serena getting their rainbow badge and stop team rocket again and I liked that they tried to save Project Zero"**_

" _ **Wow I am glad everyone made it out and how Pancham evolved"**_

Creator- Glad you liked it. We aim to please you most of all.

Hydra- I'm really glad you enjoyed last chapter; it was very tedious at first when we originally started to work on it but after a while we became inspired to finish it.

 _ **Hall Gowrt- "this behemoth kept me busy for the majority of a working day. Great job!"**_

Creator- Sorry it was so hard to read before we fixed the glitch, but I'm glad you enjoyed it regardless

Hydra- thank you very much for the compliment I'm happy you enjoyed it. :)

 _ **Sinserta-"**_ _ **Holy hell, Chaos is a good name for this chapter. Its chaotic to read. Just one giant chunk. Please fix the punctuation and what not"**_

Creator- Were it not for you, I would have never discovered that a glitch had ruined our hard work and it would have stayed like it. I assumed thor94 was initially just referring to the size, but when I saw yours, I knew something was wrong.

Hydra- I just gotta say I laughed so freaking hard when I read your review because the original upload of the chapter sure lived up to its name lol.

 _ **Guest- "Based off the title and description, I almost thought this would be a crossover with Warhammer 40k. I mean, the beast could be an Ork warboss, a Tyrranid bio-ship, or a C'tan. And the man could be an Inquisitior with Exterminatus authority, or even the Emperor himself."**_

Creator- I haven't the foggiest idea of what any of it means but it sounds cool. Also thanks for the review.

Hydra- yeah I gotta agree I don't know too much about warhammer 40k but it does sound like an interesting game I may have to look it up one of the days, but nevertheless thank you for reviewing. :)

 _ **Tis suks kys- "**_ _ **I thought I told you faggots to stop writing Kill yourselves noobs"**_

Creator- Well you succeeded for nearly a year, so that has to count for something, right?

Hydra- Dang, it's almost been a whole year and your still sending those messages lol good to see you too buddy.

Creator-Now before we go, I owe you an explanation for my absence, and it was for a multitude of reasons. The first one was that my creative writing class didn't turn out to be what I expected. I thought I'd use it to work on the fic, but my teacher had other things for me to do. The second reason is that while in my creative writing class, I came up with an idea for a completely new, original story and got carried away with the worldbuilding for that. After this fic is completed, I'll likely be turning it into a publishable novel series, if I can. The third reason is that it's nearly impossible for me to concentrate at home. Whenever I'm at home, my mind just goes "Free time" and I cannot, for the life of me, focus on anything I consider "work". I also lost some inspiration over time in favor of my original story, but now I'm completing this so I have more experience.

Hydra- Anyways, thank you so much everyone for reading. I cannot wait until you guys eventually get to see what this is all building up to. Have a fantastic day and stay lit.


	12. Chapter 12: Calamity

_**Location: A forest near New Bark Town in the Johto Region.**_

The night was nearly pitch black. Three large, deer-like figures darted through the dark forest, with a smaller equine figure following closely behind. These were the grey Cobalion, the brown Terrakion, the green Verizion (not to be confused with a certain phone service company), and the smaller blue Keldeo. Together, they were known as the Swords of Justice and they had a mission that had taken them very far from their home in the far-off Unova Region.

"Tell me," Terrakion spoke to his comrade Cobalion, "Do you really believe Necrozma could be nearby?"

Cobalion nodded, "Indeed. Not dangerously so, but close. He has appeared in the Johto Region last, so he must still be within it."

The emerald green Verizion asked him, "We certainly won't be engaging him, I assume?"

"Of course not," Cobalion replied, "Arceus himself dueled Necrozma for a time and couldn't defeat him. If not even he can, then we have no chance. No, we will simply be scouting throughout the Region and, should we spot Necrozma, report back to Arceus immediately."

Hearing this, Keldeo, the youngest member of the Sword of Justice, sighed in relief. "That's a load off…"

"But," Cobalion continued, "I am also fully prepared for the possibility that we _cannot_ run away. If we have no other choice than to engage, then I will-"

" _ **Do what exactly?**_ "

Cobalion's eyes shot open in shock and he whipped around to the source of the voice. Amongst the darkness of the cloudy night, an ominous, prismatic black figure floated above the quadrio of Unovan Legends. Two glowing, white crystals protruded from its' arms which were the only sources of light that could identify the being's presence. To the Swords of Justice, he looked nearly invisible, but his presence alone sent terror ringing through them.

" _ **...Oh**_ ," Necrozma started, seeing that he'd cut off Cobalion's train of thinking and placed his hand to chest with a bow, " _ **My apologies. Don't mind me. I was pondering whether or not I should eradicate that settlement behind me...I believe the sign said 'New Bark Town'? ...When I happened to overhear someone talking about me.**_ "

He let out a chilling, metallic-sounding chuckle. " _ **But please, by all means, continue. I'll just be over here.**_ "

Cobalion snarled at him, and the two Swords of Justice at his side positioned themselves into crouches for battle. "You…! You're Necrozma, are you not?!"

" _ **Ding, ding, ding!**_ " Necrozma exclaimed mockingly, pointing his finger in the air for emphasis, " _ **Right you are! You must be quite the detective. Now, what do you plan to do with such information? Oh, wait, my bad. I happened to interrupt you. Go on, you were saying?**_ "

"Keldeo, run!" Cobalion ordered, "Tell Arceus that Necrozma is in Johto and that we are combatting him as we speak!"

"No way!" Retorted Keldo, "I'm an official Sword of Justice now, not just a trainee! If you're fighting, I'm-"

"DO IT, YOU FOOL!" Cobalion bellowed at him with a ferocity and urgency Keldeo had never seen from his master before, "WE WILL NOT WIN THIS FIGHT WITHOUT HIM!"

" _ **You won't win this fight either way.**_ "

Cobalion was struck from behind suddenly, sending him careening somewhere into the forest. Terrakion and Verizion stared in shock at where their friend and leader was sent hurtling, then turned and bared their fangs furiously at the dark demon.

"BASTARD!" Roared Terrakion, "YOU'LL PAY FOR THAT!"

"Keldeo, go!" Verizion told the young equine, "This is more than just a battle for victory! It's a battle for survival! You need to inform Arceus no matter what, or everything is lost!"

Keldeo looked at where the master of the Swords of Justice was launched into with in distress. "But what about-"

"He'll be fine!" Verizion assured him, "He's the strongest out of any of us! Now go!"

Keldeo furrowed his brow, unsure of what to do. He looked back to where Cobalion was launched into, then back to Terrakion and Verizion who were facing down the black menace Necrozma. He agonized over the decision. He knew his orders were important, but running away from a fight, especially after training so hard and even fighting Kyurem to a standstill, couldn't sit right with him. It felt wrong, but…

"...Alright." Keldeo replied at last and turning to run away, "I'll go, but none of you better die on me!"

Terrakion chuckled at him, "Have faith in us, kid!"

"And we'll have faith in you!" Verizion called out to him.

" _ **And so the youngest one flees to find help all while his friends stay behind to sacrifice themselves!"**_ Necrozma announced mockingly, " _ **I'm touched. It's such a shame that it's meaningless.**_ "

"The hell're you thinkin'?!" Bellowed Terrakion, stamping his front feet into the ground, "The Swords of Justice ain't gonna fall to some alien!"

Verizion nodded resolutely, "Indeed. You will never take this planet, demon! Lord Arceus will stop you!"

" _ **Surely,**_ " Mocked Necrozma with a dark cackle, " _ **Yes, that would be a nice story to tell the little rambunctious grandchildren of the future. It's quite unfortunate that a future is something both you and the rest of this backwater planet lack**_."

"Why don't ya put your money where your mouth is?!" Challenged Terrakion, "Take this! Rock Slide!" Upon the Unovan Legend's command, a hail of stones materialized from thin air above the black monster's head.

Verizion followed suit. "And this as well! Leaf Storm!" With her order, a miniature storm of wind carrying innumerable amounts of razor-sharp leaves appeared around the emerald Sword of Justice.

The leaves rocketed at Necrozma, who simply crossed his arms and, if he had a mouth, would have certainly be smirking at the thought of these pathetic insects before him having the capacity to harm him, and began tearing at him relentlessly. Terrakion's hail of rocks followed suit, burying the black demon and kicking up a large cloud of dust with a resounding series of thuds.

"Yeah, how's that?!" Terrakion cheered, but Verizion knew better.

"He's not dead. Far from it."

"I know that!" Retorted Terrakion, "Arceus himself couldn't take him down, so there's no way we will, but we still landed a clean blow on him!"

To the Rock-type Sword of Justice's horror, a deep, metallic-sounding chuckle seeped from the mound of rocks. The stones cracked suddenly, and then shattered into a hail of dust and pebbles that swarmed around the near-invisible figure inside. With the wave of his prismatic finger, the debris around him suddenly stopped, then disappeared. They weren't destroyed. They weren't crushed into a powder so small that it couldn't be identified, no...upon the black demon's command, the remainder of Terrakion's and Verizion's attack _ceased to exist._

The two Swords of Justice stepped back in a fear they couldn't suppress no matter how much they tried as Necrozma bellowed out a maniacal laugh that clouded out the entire area surrounding their battle. Still, they remained defiant. The Swords of Justice never surrendered.

With a challenging roar, Terrakion opened his mouth and fired a massive orange laser from his mouth in the form of a Hyper Beam. Necrozma scoffed at him and simply held out his index finger, stopping the attack from even making contact with him. From behind, Verizion appeared and fired a Hyper Beam of her own, to which Necrozma turned and held out his other hand's index finger to stop the attack as well. Unflinching, the two Swords of Justice held fast and kept their attacks going.

" _ **Hmph. I honestly don't know why you ants continue to fight against me. It would be so much quicker for you if you just stood still and awaited your end, you know.**_ "

"The Swords of Justice never surrender!" Cried out another voice. Cobalion stepped out from the brush, sporting a large reddish-brown bruise on his side, but otherwise unwavering from his duty. Glaring at Necrozma, the leader of the Swords of Justice held his head high and summoned a single white and red glowing blade above himself. "THIS," He announced, "IS THE CULMINATION OF JUSTICE! THIS IS THE COMBINED WILL OF EVERY CREATURE THAT DWELLS ON OUR PLANET AND CRIES OUT FOR JUSTICE TO BE SERVED! IN THEIR NAME, I WILL FIGHT! _**SACRED SWORD!**_ "

Cobalion roared with pride and hurled the blade forward at Necrozma's exposed back and exploded violently in a blaze of crimson red and blinding white. Verizion and Terrakion quickly let their Hyper Beams go and jumped away in time to avoid the explosion, and what's more, Necrozma was struck with the attack perfectly. There wasn't a chance of him avoiding it. The black demon Necrozma had no other option but to take the attack head on. The emerald and brown Swords reunited with their leader from beyond the ensuing cloud of smoke.

"...You didn't get him, right?" Terrakion Asked.

Cobalion, between the deep panting for air, replied, "Of course not. I have doubts that my attack even damaged him, and I would be a fool to believe that anything I could possibly throw against him would be enough to defeat him. Were it that simple, Lugia and the three elemental birds would have long-since defeated them on their own."

" _ **Well, then I must congratulate you,**_ " The all-too familiar voice of the black demon spoke from inside the blanket of smoke, clapping, " _ **One of my favorite things to do when I'm slaughtering peons like you is to intentionally let an attack they think is impressive hit me dead on, wait a few moments from inside the smoke cloud and then listen for those delicious words "Did I/we get him/it?" and then pop out and either kill one of them or just mortally injure one of them and then finish them afterward.**_ "

He couldn't help but let out a maniacal cackle that chilled the Swords of Justice to their cores even when they glared and scowled at the monster before him in some kind of act of useless defiance.

" _ **Somehow, it never gets old. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I've done it, yet it still entertains me immensely every time...but you!**_ " He pointed at the trio before him, causing them to flinch, then mentally curse at themselves for it immediately afterward, " _ **You were the first to see through it, and so I congratulate you! I get you "Justice" types all the time when I'm conquering worlds, and they always say the same thing:**_ " He coughed to clear his voice, then began speaking in a mocking, higher-pitched and whiny voice while making crude gestures to get his point across. " _ **Oh my (insert deity figure here), our (insert attack name here) didn't work! I-Impossible! Nobody' survived that attack before! We're supposed to be invincible- blah blah blah, you get my point. They kept rambling on and on about their powers and morals or whatever, and then they either gave up or kept fighting until their bodies collapsed with exhaustion. Oh yeah, and then I killed them too**_."

"You monster…" Verizion spat at him, "Just how many worlds have you destroyed?! How many innocent lives have you thoughtlessly cut down?!"

" _ **Dunno, I stopped counting a few millennia ago**_ ," Nonchalantly replied Necrozma with the lazy wave of his hand, " _ **Anyways, my point is this: I must applaud you. You are the first to acknowledge that you don't have the slightest chance of victory against me! Thus, you are easily the smartest individuals I have ever met.**_ "

"What, do we earn a medal?" Terrakion asked sarcastically.

" _ **INDEED!**_ "

Necrozma suddenly held his arm out at the Rock-Type Sword of Justice and, before any of them could blink, the Unovan Legend was crushed into the shape of a star by Necrozma's Psychic power. He never even had the time to scream.

" _ **Feel free to wear it with pride on your way down to hell**_."

"W-what in the-" Verizion stammered, stepping back from the star-shaped remains of her comrade.

"What just-?!" Cobalion exclaimed with eyes as wide as dinner plates, stepping away from Terrakion's corpse.

Necrozma leaned his head back and laughed cruelly as Cobalion and Virizion stared back and forth near-cluelessly between the remains of their friend and the dark demon that ended him. They couldn't deduce what had happened, though one idea that they couldn't bear to acknowledge collectively plagued their minds.

"What did you do?!" Verizion demanded of the Emperor of the Ultra Beasts with fury plastered over her face, "What did you do to Terrakion?!"

Necrozma motioned over to the now-reddening star-shaped object at the Unovan Legends' side. " _ **Isn't it obvious? And here, I pegged you two as being smart. He asked me for a medal and I...well...I guess you could say I made him one.**_ "

" _YOU HEARTLESS MONSTER!"_ Bellowed Cobalion as he summoned another Sacred Sword, " _IS THIS NOTHING BUT A GAME TO YOU_."

" _ **No. A game incites challenge. Were it a game, the other "players" would stand a chance at victory. What "this" is, is my birthright. The universe and everything in it belongs to me, and thus I decide the fates of every living thing; whether they live beneath my feet or whether they die like the insects they are. There is no other option.**_ "

"That is not for you to decide!" Verizion spat back at him.

Necrozma crossed his arms, unimpressed. " _ **Hah! Who is there to decide such a thing if not for me? Your precious 'Lord Arceus'? Why is that, then? Because you believe him to be more powerful than I? If power is the deciding factor, then you are only proving me right. Those with power decide what is wrong and what is right, and thus, I am right. I stand at the pinnacle of power.**_ "

"You're wrong!" Cobalion countered, "Lord Arceus, our creator and the creator of our world itself, has more power than you could ever comprehend! He is as kind as he is powerful,and with the help of the other Legends uniting against you, we will scour your existence from the world and the universe like the stain it is!"

Necrozma simply groaned at the Steel Sword of Justice. " _ **And there it is. The faith in their so-called deity every race I've exterminated always ends up spouting at me. Let me tell you this, worm.**_ "

Uncrossing his arms, Necrozma released an ounce of his energy around him, uprooting pieces of the ground with the pressure of his energy alone. From between the flying rocks obscuring the dark demon's face, Cobalion and Verizion could still make out that the black demon's eyes were now glowing a deep, crimson hue.

" _ **Each and every time one of you worthless insects sings praise about how your precious deities will appear and "smite me for my wicked ways", they either end up being crushed beneath my heel or never showing up at all. I've slain literal millions of your so-called gods, and I will slaughter millions more.**_ "

Cobalion fired his Sacred Sword and so Verizion summoned another and followed suit. The twin crimson blades whirled violently as they sliced through the air, causing a menacing sound akin to a whirring whistle as they cleaved through everything in their path. It was, of course, for naught. Without Necrozma even moving a muscle, the twin Sacred Swords, the essences of everything the Swords of Justice fought for and believed in, exploded into harmless red dust and disappeared into nothing more than a dim fizzle of light before ever even coming in contact with the invader.

Necrozma let out a dark, chilling chuckle that practically oozed with malice. " _ **Very well then. Let us see if your God will protect you.**_ "

Necrozma disappeared from sight and Verizion was struck suddenly by a blow to the side that sent her careening through a row of trees. "Verizion!" Cobalion called out to her. He tried to rush to her aid, but the dark demon appeared in front of him to block his way, then backhanded him with the edge of the crystal protruding from his arm. The Steel Sword of Justice was helpless to prevent himself from skidding face-down through the dirt.

Cobalion forced himself to his feet and spit the dirt from his mouth, furiously whipping back around to meet the monster that had dared to insult their Justice. As much as he wanted to run to Verizion's aid, Cobalion knew that Necrozma would give him no such chance. He could only hope that she was alright.

" _ **I personally think that you should be more worried for yourself than your friend**_ ," The dark, metallic voice of Necrozma chided from behind the Leader of the Swords of Justice.

Cobalion leapt away from Necrozma with a terror that he refused to admit to himself and faced the dark demon, but he was nowhere to be seen. He was struck in the back from above with such force that Cobalion now tasted blood in his mouth. Agony tore through the nerves of literal steel of Cobalion, but still, he refused to let the pain escape. He refused to let this monster get any more satisfaction than he could help.

" _ **As sickeningly noble as that prospect is**_ ," Necrozma said, continuing to dig his fists into Cobalion's back, " _ **As I've just demonstrated, I can read your mind. I can see and hear your thoughts. If I wanted to…**_ "

Cobalion hissed in agony suddenly. A pain unlike Cobalion had ever fathomed began worming its' way into the Legend's head like a burning knife. Visions of instances he'd never seen before began filling his mind. He saw himself looking up from an island crackling with lightning as a streak of light suddenly ripped down from the heavens and tore both him and the island apart. He felt himself being flung through the air above a seabed without any water, then being punched with a force so great that the world around him was torn apart as well. He felt a piece of his body being torn off with a great snap. He felt himself being blasted with a wave of crimson energy that spanned what seemed to him as all of existence, then being dragged across the rocky ground with speeds faster than he could process. Then, he felt yet another piece of his body he couldn't identify being ripped off of him as well. Still, he refused to cry out in pain.

" _ **These**_ ," Spoke Necrozma, " _ **Are the memories of the other so-called 'Legends' of your planet that I crushed beneath my heel. Fortunately for you, I don't have the luxury of putting you through that physically, as such destruction would likely spread to that 'New Bark Town' nearby that I plan on destroying later. But, I can still force you to relive the suffering of your kin**_."

"Bas...tard…" Cobalion sputtered weakly, blood clotting up his mouth, "You'll...never...get away...with this…! You...may break...my body...but you will... _never_...break the spirit...of Justice!" Even amongst the agony that wreaked havoc on every last inch of his body, he still refused to break. He even laughed, albeit weakly, at the black demon. "Even...if you...kill me here...I can...at least...take solace...knowing you couldn't...break me! The spirit...of justice...and all...the hope of...all living things...still flares within me...like a fire...a fire that...you can... _never_...put out! Even...if you...kill me!"

" _ **Well, it's true that even through the torment of multiple others, you still refuse to cry out in the agony I know you're feeling,**_ " Necrozma conceded, " _ **But...you say you'll never break? That 'justice' will still live on even if you die? I cannot tell you how many times I've heard those exact same words. There's always something that you will hold dear enough to cry out in agony over, even if pain can't get through…**_ "

Necrozma grabbed hold of Cobalion's head and forced it to look up. Cobalion blinked the dust and stone out of his eyes and saw that, as if on cue, Verizion came storming out from the bush, scouring the land around her with her eyes until they finally landed on Necrozma and Cobalion. Then, she charged, shouting, "Let him go, you monster!" It was then that Cobalion realized what Necrozma meant. His eyes shot open, bloodshot, and he screamed at her not to come any closer.

"No! Get away, Verizion! Get out of-"

His pleas were for naught. With the simple outstretching of Necrozma's jagged finger, an explosion consumed Verzion faster than she could know she was already dead.

" _NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!_ "

Cobalion gaped helplessly at his friend's demise. Tears now dotted the normally-cold, silent, proud legend's eyes for the first time he could ever remember, yet he did not care. He had failed them. His comrades and, more importantly, friends that had been at his side for thousands of years were now gone. The Swords of Justice were no more. He had failed as both a leader and a friend.

" _ **Ah, there we are,**_ " Necrozma mocked arrogantly, " _ **That wonderful cry of pain. I told you there were other...hm…?**_ "

To the Leader of the Ultra Beasts' confusion, he heard a chuckle from the former Leader of the Swords of Justice. Then it grew into a fit of laughter. Finally, Cobalion was now helplessly cackling like a madman, throwing his head back.

" _ **Perhaps he has gone mad,**_ " Necrozma surmised.

"You...fool…" The Steel Legend mocked between laughs, "You think...you've taken everything from me…?" Ha! Hahahahaaha- _no!_ No, there's something you can never pry from me as long as I live and after! You have taken my friends, my title, and even my pride, but you will never take away my hope! I have no doubt in my mind...Arceus and the Legends will unite together and defeat you!"

Necrozma was silent for a few seconds, then let out an odd mix between a short laugh and a scoff. " _ **I believe that's the third time you said I couldn't take something from you, yes? Two times I've proved you wrong. Let's go for strike three.**_ "

Cobalion's mad laughter only continued. "You utter fool! Kill me, then, demon. I'll be laughing from on high as Arceus smites you from this world! There's nothing left for you to take from me! Why? My hope is not just my own, that's why! The hope of-"

" _ **All living creatures, yadda yadda yadda, I've heard it millions of times before...and that's not what I was referring to.**_ "

Cobalion scoffed at him. "Pah! Go on then! Show me your worst!"

Had Necrozma a mouth, he would have certainly had a devilish grin accommodating it. " _ **You keep saying 'Arceus this, Arceus that', but...who exactly will be telling your precious Arceus about your failure?**_ "

Cobalion's laughter died, becoming choked in his throat as he realized what Necrozma was talking about.

"No...NO, YOU CAN'T!"

" _ **Oh, but I can and will. Let's not keep the young one waiting now.**_ "

Necrozma grappled onto Cobalion's horns, hoisted him into the air and disappeared into the night with a chilling laugh amongst Cobalion's screams for mercy. Not for himself...but for another…

…

The youngest of the Swords of Justice, Keldeo was sprinting as fast as the deep-blue equine Pokemon's hooves could bear. Thoughts of his elders' fates kept worming at his mind, but he did everything in his power to rid himself of them.

"They're strong," He reassured himself, "But they're relying on me! The longer I take, the more they'll have to…"

The youngest Unovan Legend's train of process was cut off when something large and cyan-colored whirled past him into a row of trees, knocking Keldeo off of his feet. He lurched back up to right himself quickly, though, as one singular thought now haunted him.

"That couldn't have been...no, it couldn't have…" Rushing over to the crash site of whatever was hurled past him, Keldeo tore through the cloud of dust and saw, much to his horror, that his thoughts were confirmed. Cobalion, with a deep gaping hole in his side, was now collapsed on the ground at the base of several collapsed trees.

"Cobalion!" Keldeo shouted, "Arceus, no…!"

Cobalion tried to force himself to his feet, hacking out an agonized cough and staring up at the youngest of the Swords of Justice with, for the first time Keldeo had ever seen, tears and panicked terror in his eyes. "G-go…!" The once-prideful Unovan Legend pleaded, "P-please! Necrozma, he-" He hacked out another cough and collapsed again, "He...h-he killed...Terrakion and...Verizion...Y-you can't..l-let him...c-catch you! G-get Arceus! B-before it's…"

" _ **Too late?**_ "

A white beam of energy appeared out of seemingly nowhere and enveloped Cobalion, causing a blast that sent Keldeo flying away. The young equine let out a grunt of pain upon impact, but that was the least of his worries. "Cobalion!"

He scanned every last inch of the now-burning forest before him, but could find nothing. No hint of where his leader could be, nor any sign whatsoever. Not a trace was left of the Leader of the Swords of Justice. What was once a proud, noble Legendary Pokemon is now nothing more than ashes scattered to the wind.

"No!" The last of the Swords of Justice cried, "NOOOO!"

Tears fell freely from Keldeo's eyes. He couldn't help it. He was taught otherwise; taught by his three comrades and friends to remain strong and fierce in the face of evil. To uphold Justice, unwavering to any malicious force that might oppose them...but...the look on Cobalion's face...if not even his leader, who had never once shown weakness even as he battled to the last of his strength before...had now been crying in terror...where did that leave him?

"Cobalion!" He cried out again, "Where are you! We'll get out of this together! We'll get to Arceus and he can heal you! We'll tell Arceus everything, then-"

" _ **Oh, really?**_ "

Keldeo's heart stopped for a second. He whipped around, and surely enough, the black terror Necrozma was there, floating in place with his arms crossed. Somehow, the light from the flames didn't illuminate him in the slightest. Only the light emanating from the crystals jutting out from his arms gave Keldeo any clue of the appearance of the monster he was faced with.

Keldeo tried to force himself to glare at the demon before him—tried to remain defiant in the face of the pure, overwhelming evil before him, but his fear betrayed him, contorting his face into a pathetic mix of anger and terror.

"N-Necrozma…!" He stammered, trembling, "W-where's Cobalion?! What did you do to him?!"

" _ **You know full well what happened to your precious leader, boy.**_ "

"Y-you're wrong!" Keldeo shook his head rapidly, forcing himself to deny what he was hearing, "Cobalion's strong! Stronger than anyone I've ever known! There's no way he could fall to the likes of you!"

Necrozma let out a horrific, chilling chuckle that seemed to come from every direction. " _ **Oh really? If so, would you like to find out exactly what happened to them?**_ "

Before Keldeo could blink, Necrozma grabbed Keldeo by the back of his head and hoisted him off the ground. The young Legend tried to fight back, squirming futilely in Necrozma's grasp, but was stopped by a sudden feeling of a knife being plunged into his brain. Then, he saw visions. Visions of Terrakion, Verizion and Cobalion mounting a combined attack against the black menace, only for it to do nothing. He saw...and felt...Terrakion's fate...he saw Verizion disappear in a blaze of fire...and he saw Cobalion's brutalization. He, too, was forced to undergo the agony he did...the memories of those who, too, fought against Necrozma and failed...and finally, he saw Cobalion be obliterated by a singular, white laser.

He screamed in agony, desperately tearing at Necrozma's hand as tears flowed freely. He no longer had the slightest chance of preventing it. Keldeo eventually went limp after what seemed like hours, and so Necrozma, finished with his broken toy, let him fall to the ground.

The dark demon crossed his arms. " _ **Now do you see? You can no longer refute it. Your friends have fallen.**_ "

Keldeo whimpered something that Necrozma couldn't quite catch. "..ou…...stard…"

" _ **I'm sorry, what was that?**_ "

" _YOU BASTAAAAAAARD!_ "

A brilliant flash of glowing light encumbered the blue equine Pokemon. He rose off the ground, sending waves of energy crashing against the surrounding forest. Necrozma, unimpressed, simply floated in place, unbothered by what to him was nothing more than a light display. Keldeo grew slightly larger, along with a blazing red mane to accompany it. Finally, a blue horn even with an even deeper coloring than his fur emerged from his forehead. The light died down and Keldeo fell to the floor where he stood proudly—his chin held high with pride as his comrades taught him.

" _My form is resolute!"_ Bellowed Keldeo, " _My form is the embodiment of Justice! It is the form of the collective will of my friends to destroy evil like you! Mark my words, Necrozma, this planet you dared to invade will be your grave!_ "

Necrozma uncrossed his arms and beckoned with his index finger for Keldeo to try. " _ **By all means**_."

Keldeo stamped his front hooves into the ground and held his head high, summoning a brilliant white blade far larger than Cobalion's from his new horn. The energy that radiated from it glistened like sunlight reflecting off of a lake beautifully. " _This is the true collective will of Justice, evolved to the point of perfection! Eat this! Secret Sword!_ " With a roar and the downward jetting of Keldeo's head, the massive white blade was loosed, though not at Necrozma. At the last moment, Keldeo shifted the trajectory of the attack down beneath Necrozma, kicking up a cloud of dust and debris. Necrozma scoffed in annoyance and waved his arm, dispelling the smoke. Keldeo had disappeared, fleeing into the forest.

"I can't waste this chance…!" Keldeo said aloud as he used his newfound strength to blitz through the forest, "This form is strong, but...there's no way it can beat him. I need to get to Arceus! To finish what my masters started!"

A black mass appeared before him suddenly. It was, of course, Necrozma, who wasn't about to let his next victim escape. Necrozma held out his index finger and, with a simple flick, sent Keldeo hurtling backward. Though, to Necrozma's genuine amazement, Keldeo managed to plant his hooves into the ground and stop himself, and turned back the other way without so much as glancing at the dark demon.

Necrozma appeared in front of Keldeo's path again with his arms crossed and a would-be smirk if his face could allow such a thing. Keldeo whipped around to his left, entering a much-thicker part of the woods to try and lose his pursuer. Necrozma, yet again, simply teleported in front of the equine legend, and so Keldeo turned to his right and kept on sprinting.

"I'll find an exit eventually…" Keldeo reassured himself, "It's only a matter of time…"

" _ **Time is something you do not possess**_."

Keldeo was struck in the side, eliciting a pained groan from him and sending him crashing through a myriad of trees. Gritting his teeth, Keldeo forced himself onto his feet and sprinted away again. Somewhere. Anywhere. Anywhere other than here. Anywhere than these damned woods! The chilling, all-encompassing laughter of Necrozma filled the dark forest. Now, it was a game.

Necrozma appeared in Keldeo's way again, and so again, Keldeo whipped around, only this time, he summoned a wave of water and kicked it at Necrozma with his back hooves and hopped on top of it, sailing right over the invader's head.

Necrozma chuckled and disappeared once more. He appeared beside Keldeo's wave and raced alongside it, dragging his hands through the water as he raced up at the equine Pokemon and rammed his fast into Keldeo's underside, forcing the young Legend to cry out in pain and shut his eyes, but he still remained defiant against all odds and used the momentum from Necrozma's punch to let himself sail away through the air, up and above the dark forest, and summon another wave of water beneath his feet to aid in his escape.

Keldeo dared to look back and saw that, of course, Necrozma was racing behind him with speeds that bent the forest trees underneath. Keldeo leapt off of the wave just in time for Necrozma's fist to not only splatter the water in every direction, but the sheer force of the punch ripped a portion of the forest underneath off of its' hinges. Keldeo, in the brief moments available, stared in disbelief at the immense destructive power Necrozma possessed. He had of course knew that his adversary possessed otherworldly power, but seeing it in full display was a whole other level of terrifying.

Keldeo turned his head downward and hurtled himself down into the forest...or at least tried to. Necrozma, faster than Keldeo could hope to perceive, rocketed down at the forest. With but a single punch, the entirety of the forest was blown into complete and utter chaos. A colossal cloud of debris shot up from Necrozma's impact. The very ground itself split away into colossal chunks and blowing apart into the sky. Keldeo was sent hurtling away by the immense force of the punch, followed by a literal wave of earth debris so large that the equine could no longer even see the sky. He looked around desperately, trying to find a way to avoid being crushed by the wave of moving earth. His blood ran cold when he realized he had no hope of avoiding it.

In that moment, Necrozma appeared once more, cackling like a madman, and gripped Keldeo by the neck. Keldeo hacked for air desperately, but Necrozma rocketed the two of them upward towards the roof of the wave and held Keldeo above his head. As they crashed into it, Keldeo was crushed, battered and beaten by the rocks and debris caught in the massive wave until after literal minutes, they emerged out from the top where Necrozma hoisted the young Sword of Justice up by his throat, far above the ground below.

" _ **There is no escape,**_ " Necrozma boomed, " _ **Your only hope is to submit and pray that I decide to take pity on you and end your life quickly.**_ "

The terrifying thing to Keldeo was not Necrozma nor his power. It was that Keldeo was beginning to believe him. It was that Keldeo was beginning to lose faith and hope...it was that Keldeo now truly believed that he had already lost to this monster of pure, overwhelming power, and that he had failed his mentors and friends. He had failed the world.

If Necrozma had a mouth, he'd have been grinning like a maniac. " _ **You know I'm right, don't you? I can see it in your mind and feel it in your heart. That once-great determination has given way to fear, and now to acceptance. I've won, and you know it**_."

Keldeo tried—he tried with every last fiber of his quickly-fleeting will to deny it. To cry something out in the name of Justice. How he'd avenge his friends and protect the world he loved. How he would defend every last person and Pokemon alike from this nightmare...but he couldn't. His will to fight was gone.

Necrozma chuckled and pointed a finger at the disaster below him. In an instant, the wave of earth stopped, sending the airborne chunks of debris falling back to the ground in a hail of stone and trees. " _ **Very well then. I'm a monster of my word. I'll let you die without further delay. I have business with that town anyways…**_ " Necrozma brought his hand to Keldeo's face and summoned a ball of white energy. The last of the Swords of Justice grimaced and closed his eyes. Then, a devious idea struck the dark demon. " _ **...Actually...I might have another use for you…**_ "

With the wave of Necrozma's finger, a platform rushed up beneath the two from the now-decimated forest. Necrozma dropped the young equine and, before Keldeo could ask what Necrozma's intentions were, the demon gripped the young Legend's horn and wrended it from his body, eliciting another agonized cry of pain from the poor young Legend, who then collapsed and reverted to his original form. Oddly enough, the horn didn't disappear after he reverted.

" _ **Ah, since the connection was severed, the horn didn't disappear with your form. That is fortunate indeed...but that's not all I had in mind for you.**_ "

Necrozma gripped the helpless young Legend by the throat and hoisted him upward once more. Keldeo winced, but no longer had the strength to move, and simply went limp in Necrozma's grasp.

" _ **You are to deliver a message to Arceus. Tell him to rally every force he can muster and meet me at...hold on one moment.**_ _**Xurkitree!**_ "

From the crystal on Necrozma's arm, a holographic image of the wire-like Ultra Beast, Necrozma's right hand man, appeared with a bow.

" _Yes, milord?_ "

" _ **What is the largest city on this planet**_?"

Xurkitree disappeared for a moment, then reappeared a few seconds later. " _According to my data I've accumulated from your visits across that world, the largest city is a tie between Goldenrod and Lumiose_."

" _ **Well, which one is closest?**_ "

" _Goldenrod City, milo-"_

Necrozma cut the transmission and turned back towards Keldeo once more. " _ **Tell Arceus to amass the largest army he can muster and meet me in Goldenrod City in five days. I will announce my own message to the world after making my entrance with the destruction of New Bark Town. Your life is spared until then**_."

With a chilling cackle, Necrozma, with Keldeo's horn, disappeared from sight, and Keldeo faded into unconsciousness.

…

"... _eo…_ "

" _...eldeo…!"_

" _KELDEO!"_

Keldeo suddenly awoke with a gasp. He bolted to his feet and found that he was now in the Hall of Origins. Turning around, he was met with the concerned face of Arceus, the father of all Pokemon. Keldeo shrieked and bowed to him.

"There's no need for that," Arceus said, shaking his head, "But what happened to you?"

Keldeo's eyes widened, and memories of the previous night flashed in his vision, retelling the tale of Necrozma's latest slaughter. The young Legend grimaced and he fell to his knees, tears dotting the pure white floor beneath.

"Keldeo?!" Arceus exclaimed with concern, kneeling down to the youngest of the naturally-born Legends' aid. "Please, it's all right now. Please, tell me what ha-"

Then it dawned on the Alpha Pokemon, and his face furrowed with rage. "It was _him,_ wasn't it? It was Necrozma…"

Keldeo, amidst the tears, managed to nod shakily. "...I-It w-was…he…" His face fell into an even deeper grimace, and the young Legend stamped his hoof furiously. "He...that monster, he…" Choking on his own grief, Keldeo couldn't bring himself to finish.

Arceus nodded understandingly. "It's fine. I understand. Though, I must ask, why were you in Johto? Unova is as far away from Johto as you could get? Were you pursuing Necrozma? I have to say, that was a foolish thing to do. It's unlike you to leave Cobalion's side."

Keldeo winced at the name, and Arceus raised an eyebrow in confusion until another terrible thought dawned on him once more.

"...No…You...by chance, you weren't with Cobalion, right?"

Keldeo shuddered, and his weeping only worsened. "I...I came with them...they wanted...to scout for him...and tell you his location but...he…!" Keldeo stamped his hoof down with anguish. "They're all...all of them...they told me to run...to get you...but...I wasn't fast enough...and because of me, they…!" He let out an agonized cry of grief. "THEY'RE GONE! BECAUSE OF ME...BECAUSE I WAS TOO WEAK...TO SLOW...HE KILLED THEM!"

A fury and sadness Arceus had not known for thousands of years burst forward once more. Rage practically emanated from the Alpha Pokemon's crimson red eyes.

"...I am deeply sorry for your loss. I can assure you... _ **THAT MONSTER WILL PAY FOR WHAT HE'S DONE…**_ "

Keldeo was taken aback when Arceus failed to suppress his energy, resulting in a golden-white aura of energy pouring forth from his divine body. Such rage and power erupted from the Lord of all Pokemon that it shook even he divine dimension of the Hall of Origin. Though as quickly as it came, Arceus forced his eyes shut and exhaled, allowing the flow of energy to cease and the Hall to remain stable again.

"I apologize for that, young Keldeo," Arceus spoke, bowing his head, "Please, continue, Tell me everything. I will relay it to the other Legends during the next meeting and, after this is over, we will have a proper burial for them. They will be avenged. That, I can promise."

Still shooken, Keldeo cleared his throat and nodded. "Yes, Lord Arceus, but...this is to say I don't mean to sway the conversation, but...may I ask what happened? I passed out after my...encounter with Necrozma, then woke up here."

Arceus nodded. "I'd be happy to explain. It's the least I can do after all you've been through. You see, Suicune had said she felt a disturbance and went to the site of it. She said she saw you falling from the sky and saved you, then she travelled here and left you in my care. I would have asked her what happened, but then you awoke, so she left immediately after. I didn't stop her because I figured you would give a better account of what occured."

Keldeo nodded, "I see...well, I'll have to thank her later then, if I meet her again. Anyways...about what happened…"

* * *

Ash and the others, after having given the young Eevee that was robbed of a happy life a proper burial, decided to stay at that site for the night. While the training didn't go as intended, Serena and Ash's Pokemon were able to become stronger at the very least, and Ash gained a handle on how to properly utilize his Aura. Of course, Zero learned many things too, though there were some she'd rather not have. After that, she decided to keep her eyes closed from now on. It would be quite disturbing for others to see a little girl without eyes.

As the gang woke from their slumber and readied themselves, Serena asked what their next course of actions should be, to which Ash, of course, replied, "Isn't it obvious? We're heading off for our next Gym Battle! I may not fully get what exactly happened yesterday, but it shouldn't keep us from making tomorrow-er-today better!"

"Of course you would say that," Serena said with a shrug.

"I do agree that moving on from this mess would definitely be for the best, yes," Riley remarked, "But, there's something that I need to ask." He turned down to Zero. "You never did tell us what happened. After the whole Eevee...incident, I thought it would be best to drop it the time being. I would have dropped it entirely, but…" His face hardened with seriousness, "Whatever you were fighting, it caused you to use an immense amount of power judging by all of that destruction...tell us, what was that?"

"Oh yeah," Ash followed up with a nod, "I remember firing an Aura Sphere at something, but I couldn't quite see it and it ran off after."

Zero frowned deeply. "Yes, I had forgotten to mention it like I said I would. Sorry about that."

Serena waved it off and smiled at the young girl. "It's no problem, Zero. It's not like we would have interrogated you or anything, especially not after…" Her smile faded at the memory of the burnt young Pokemon, "...You know…"

Zero nodded. "...It's over now, at least. ...I fought a man yesterday. That man wore some kind of armor and mask that obscured his face...but he was no ordinary human. He told me his name was 'Ryder', and his power nearly matched mine, but his speed and skill far exceeded me. I may be no stranger to violence, that is true, but...Ryder...was beyond that." She clenched her fists at the memory of their battle and how he had aimed at every vulnerable spot on her body when he had the chance. "Whereas I mindlessly killed, he reveled in killing. He came very close to killing me two or three times in our battle, whereas I only hit him once dead on."

She looked over to Riley with a small smile. "It was only due to you that I survived, Riley. Had you not taught me Heal Pulse, I would have died without question."

Riley meant to reply, but whatever he wanted to say was caught at his throat. ' _Two killing blows?'_ He thought to himself, enraged. ' _She's just a child! But still, to have managed that...what kind of monster of a man are we dealing with?'_

Zero continued, her frown deepening still "By the end of our battle, he had me beaten. Although my power was vastly greater, his sheer skill and speed had completely beaten me. He had stood over me while I was unable to move, then…"

She turned to Ash with a grateful smile, one that she had never worn before. "...Once again, Ash...you saved me...I think that makes three times now?"

Ash chuckled sheepishly and rubbed the back of his head at her praise. "Eh, it was nothing."

"By the way," Riley said, "Was there anything you could identify about him? I know you said his face was obscured, but was there anything about his armor that might have given him away?"

Zero paused for a few seconds and then nodded. "...There was a patch he wore over his heart. It looked like some kind of blueish-white explosion in the night sky. It was the same one that... _Charon_ wore." She hissed at the mention of her creator.

"An explosion in the night sky…" Mused Riley, "Hmm...come to think of it...Hey, Ash."

Ash perked up at the mention of his name. "Yeah?"

"Remember on the night that I found you? With those men in the trucks?"

Ash furled his brow deep in thought, then snapped his finger after a few seconds. "Oh yeah, I remember now!"

' _You forgot something like that?'_ Asked Serena mentally.

Ash's memory flashed back to that night. Roughly four men in black suits that obscured their faces chased him through the night for some reason he didn't know. They carried odd devices like metal rods that sparked with electricity and some weird object that fired some kind of projectile. What's more, they had a sigil placed over their hearts that painted out some kind of explosion surrounded by stars.

"Yeah," Said Ash, "I remember them. I remember having some kind of feeling that something was wrong and wandered off, then they started chasing me through the forest. My Aura activated on its' own, and that allowed me to run. For a while at least. After they cornered me, you got here and fought them off."

Riley nodded. "So those men, Dr. Charon and this 'Ryder' character are all involved, and working together at that...but what could their sigil mean?"

"Hang on," Serena piped up, "They also had all those Team Rocket guys with them down in the lab where we found Zero! Could they be some kind of division of Team Rocket, or an ally to them?"

Zero clenched her teeth in rage at the memory of the black-suited team. The large Red 'R' was burned into her memory, as was the torture they had put her through. "So, that's what they're called…"

Serena snapped her fingers as an idea struck her suddenly. "Hey, what about those three Team Rocket guys who are always following us around? What if we ask them next time they show up?"

"Wait," Riley said, "You mean those guys in the white versions of the suits? They're _still_ following you?"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, they just don't give up. Speaking of which, we haven't seen them in a while, have we, Serena?"

"Oh yeah, you're right!" Replied Serena, "Usually, they're hounding us nonstop, but they've been gone since that weird schoolyard incident."

"I take it this is before I arrived?" Asked Riley, to which Ash nodded.

"Yeah. They've been gone awfully long now." Ash shrugged. "Ah, well, they'll probably show up before long."

Riley asked him, "So what are we going off of, then?"

"Not much, I guess," Ash replied, "I wouldn't expect those three to have any useful information anyways, so I guess all we can do is move onto the next city and keep an eye out for those patches."

With a sigh, Riley shrugged and conceded, "I suppose so, then. It's unfortunate we don't have any leads, but I guess there isn't much left we can do."

"So," Serena piped in, "That means we're off to the next Gym, right? Where would that be?"

"Well, I think the nearest city is Saffron, but…" Ash trailed off.

"But what, Ash?" Asked Zero, "I saw your Gym battles through your memories, but I'm curious about seeing them up close for myself."

"That's great and all," Ash said, "But this Gym Leader is...an odd one to put it lightly. We're probably better off going down to the Fuchsia City Gym instead."

Riley shook his head. "I don't think that's possible, sadly. We'd have to go back to Celadon, and there's still much commotion regarding the whole Lab incident, and going back there might draw unwanted attention from any Team Rocket members that might still be nearby."

"By, the way, how come you want to avoid the Saffron Gym so much?" Asked Serena.

Ash shuddered at the memory of that place. The last time he'd went there, the Psychic Gym Leader, Sabrina, had practically taken over most of the city. For whatever reason, Sabrina's Psychic Powers drove her insane and she'd taken some kind of doll to use as an apostle, controlling the inhabitants of the town and turning anyone she didn't like into living toys. And of course, the worst part...she'd made him drop his pants and dance in his underwear in public!

"It's...a long story…" Ash responded.

Serena huffed. "Well whatever happened there didn't stop you from getting the badge last time, did it?"

"Well, that's because I didn't beat the Gym Leader," Ash retorted, "I just got her to laugh, and she gave me the badge."

Riley deadpanned. "Wait...she gave you the badge...for making The Gym Leader laugh?"

Ash nodded. "Yeah, it was probably the only way I'd beat her, in hindsight."

"Was she strong?" Zero asked, to which Ash, again, nodded.

"Yeah. She's the Psychic Type Gym Leader, and Psychic Types can be trouble to deal with. If you don't have a countermeasure to them, they can just immobilize you and beat you without the chance of a fight."

Zero's eyes narrowed. She was familiar with Psychic Types, as a few of them ended up becoming a part of her during her creation, but not enough to actually give her any benefits, so their deaths were meaningless. Though to her, all the deaths that led to her life were meaningless, and shouldn't have happened. She also remembered Damian and his Alakazam that was able to restrain her. If the other Psychic Types were like that, then no wonder Ash had trouble.

"Well," Said Serena, "It isn't like you to cower out of a fight. Plus, I've heard that Saffron City is the largest city in Kanto! I don't wanna miss that, so we should go!"

Ash cringed. If history were to repeat itself in front of Serena, Riley and...good Arceus, Zero! If they were to behold such a sight, then he would certainly die of humiliation, if the exposure laws didn't place him in jail first. As Ash was about to protest once more, Serena grabbed hold of his hand and began walking off.

"H-hey, wait!" Cried Ash, "What are you doing?!"

"Going to Saffron City, of course," Replied Serena, "What else?"

Ash immediately tried to pull his hand away from her, and found that, somehow, her grip was like iron. Even as he pleaded and dug his heels into the dirt, she kept dragging him along with a grin planted on her face. Pikachu quickly sprinted over and tried to pull on Ash's pant leg, as he too remembered the horrors that Sabrina had subjected them too during their first trip through Kanto and didn't want Ash to potentially have to relive that...particular moment.

Zero and Riley simply stared at each other in confusion, shrugged, and started following the other two, while Lucario who had been silent up to this point sighed in exasperation and followed suit.

…

Roughly two hours later, an all-too familiar trio clad in white were trudging exhaustedly through a forest completely unknown to them. This trio, of course, were the rejects of Team Rocket, and they were far from happy. For about a week now, they've been lost. They were tailing the twerps after that schoolyard incident, but ended up losing them a short while afterward and, since they hadn't been able to ask HQ for another balloon, ended up spending a very unfortunate week walking around in forests.

"Jessie?" James asked, "Do you have any idea-"

The aforementioned Jessie whirled around and howled angrily in James' face, "YES, I KNOW WHERE WE'RE GOING, NOW STOP ASKING ME!" Nearly every Flying-Type Pokemon in the surrounding area fled at the volume of her voice.

Brushing off his now-messed up fur, Meowth asked, "Well, then where _are_ we going?"

"The same place we always go," Jessie replied, pointing her finger in the air, "We're _going_ to go steal the twerps' Pikachu!"

"Yes, we know," James said, "But I was referring to an actual place. You know, like a city or a town or ANYWHERE THAT ISN'T A FOREST?!"

Jessie hissed at him, "The twerps are _always_ in a forest, James! When was the last time you saw them anywhere else?!"

"At that school," Replied James.

Jessie nodded. "Yes, and where exactly was that school?"

"...In a forest."

Jessie hummed in satisfaction. "Precisely. Now, do me a favor and _stop asking._ "

The trio continued walking throughout the seemingly-endless forest in silence, staring at the infinitely-repeating trees and only managing to retain their sanity via the occasional flower or Bug-Type Pokemon that they passed by.

"...You think it's 'er time 'a the month?" Meowth whispered to James.

"When is it not?" James whispered back.

"Say," Jessie started, making her two cohorts jump, "What are you two whispering to each other about?"

"Nothing, Jessie!" They collectively shouted in fear.

"I thought so," Replied Jessie smugly.

James' stomach growled for the umpteenth time, making the member of Team Rocket sigh and hunch over in exhaustion. "Jessie?" He asked. "Can we stop to eat?"

"If you two can find anything, sure," Jessie replied with the apathetic wave of her hand.

"Wait," Meowth started, "Why don't we just use some of our rations?"

"Oh, those? I finished them a while back-"

James and Meowth, suddenly renewed with energy and rage, rushed up to her and grabbed her by the shoulders. "YOU WHAT?!"

"Hey, what's the big deal?" Asked Jessie, "They were starting to get heavy."

"You witch!" Cried the starving, enraged, James, "Meowth and I were saving them for when we were starving, but you _ate_ them?!"

Meowth hissed furiously. The thought of his beloved food being snatched out from under his nose was too much to bear. "I should have known the moment you offered to carry them that you'd pull something like this! You _never_ offer to carry our stuff!"

The two let go of Jessie suddenly, falling onto their faces due to their exaggerated starvation setting in.

"To think," James, quite literally, cried, "We would end up being betrayed by our closest ally!"

"It's a tragedy!" Meowth blubbered through tears, "Because of the thoughtless actions of Jessie, we would end up starving in the middle of nowhere!"

They hugged each other, letting their tears flow like waterfalls behind their backs. "IT WAS NICE KNOWING YOU, MEOWTH!" "I KNOW! IT WAS NICE MEETING ME TOO!"

"Shut up!" Hissed Jessie, looking the other way suddenly.

"HOW CRUEL!" James cried, "THE WITCH THAT KILLED US WON'T EVEN LET US SAY OUR GOODBYES!"

"HAVE YOU NO MERCY?!" Meowth howled.

Uncaring for their antics, Jessie hissed at them to be quiet once more. "Shush! I hear something up ahead!"

James and Meowth immediately took off ahead of her, shouting, "FOOOOOOD!" and leaving her, quite literally, in the dust.

"H-hey!" Jessie exclaimed, coughing from the dust cloud they'd kicked up in their wake, "Don't you dare leave me behind!"

As the trio raced through the forest, they saw a light up ahead that made their mouths begin to water. There it was: their freedom. A light that shone on the path to survival and, more importantly, a meal. This light held the key to everything: their lives, their escape from the forest and, most importantly of all, a means to acquire food.

"There it is!" Cried James, watering at the mouth, "Freedom at last!"

"Sayonara, forest!" Meowth hollered, "I hope to never see you again! Food, here we come!"

"Wait for me!" Jessie yelled at them from behind, "The first meal is mine!"

"NO WAY, YOU WITCH!" James and Meowth bellowed in sync.

Finally, the light was upon them. The trio simultaneously leapt forward and grasped it, filling them with a happiness they'd never known before. Their worries, struggles and starvation were gone, and in its place was a heavenly land of freedom. A look of peace came across their faces collectively as they, finally, passed into the light...and collapsed in a heap on their faces.

"Huh?" A voice from above the trio said, "Oh hey, it's Team Rocket."

The trio of white-suited Rocket Grunts groaned, rubbing their heads. They, still piled onto each other, looked up and found-

"THE TWERPS!" The trio of Rockets jumped up onto their feet, grabbing the Pokeballs on their belts.

"It may not be a meal," Started Meowth, summoning his sharp claws, "But Pikachu works too!"

"You have no idea what we've gone through to get here, twerps," Jessie hissed, "And we'll be taking Pikachu off your hands for the trouble!"

Fuming, James cried, "You couldn't imagine what that forest was like! I spent hours without any decent food! Hand over that Pikachu on the double!"

Something struck the Trio of Team Rocket Grunts as odd, though. Where there had last only been two twerps, now there were four.

"Say," James whispered to Jessie, "Is it just me or has their group gotten larger?"

"It's not just you," Jessie whispered back, "The twerps have doubled since we last saw them."

"Who cares?!" Hissed Meowth, "The more questions you dunderheads keep asking, the longer until we get food! _After_ nabbin' their Pikachu of course."

Ash's group, meanwhile, simply stared at the trio of annoyance with deadpanned expressions.

"Huh," Said Serena, "Guess they ended up appearing after all. Should we ask them about that Ryder guy and the weird patches?"

Ash shrugged. "Knowing these guys, I doubt they know much, if anything at all. It's probably best if we just ignore them and keep going."

Zero stared silently at the trio. Though they wore different attire from the other Rockets, that giant red 'R' infuriated her to no end. Her vision flashed back to the lab, where a group of black-suited Team Rocket grunts had bound her to a table. One of them grinned cruelly and pumped back his fist, ready to strike. As he shot it forward at her, her vision flashed back to the real world. She furiously shook her head to rid herself of the memory, and then scowled at the trio before her. Noticing this, Riley put a hand on her shoulder and let his Aura sooth her until she calmed down again.

"Easy there," Riley said to her, "I don't think these three are like the others."

"...I can't help it," Replied Zero after a moment of thought, "I can't believe that these three, who wear the suits like the ones down in the lab...could be anything more than those monsters…"

Ash smiled down to her, "Come on, you know these ones aren't like them. You saw it in my memory right? These guys can be annoying, but sometimes they can also be genuinely helpful too. They're not cruel like the others."

Serena pitched in too, "Yeah, these guys are annoying at worst. I haven't known them as long as Ash has, but they were usually harmless."

Zero furled her mouth into a deep frown, but ultimately conceded with a sigh. "...You're right. I know these ones aren't as bad as the others...but that hatred I feel...it just won't go away…"

Riley ruffled her hair and chuckled. "That's fine. It would be weird if it did just suddenly go away. So long as you can look past it, it should be okay."

The trio of Rockets whipped around, ruining the twerps' touching moment.

"All right, bub!" Meowth said to Ash, "Time to hand over that Pikachu!"

"Not happening."

Pikachu nodded with a "Chu!", sparking his cheeks at the trio.

"Oh ho ho!" Meowth exclaimed, waggling his finger, "You seem t' be under the impression that you have a choice! Hand over the Pikachu or else!"

"...You know how this always goes, right?" Ash asked them nonchalantly, "You appear out of nowhere, say you're gonna take Pikachu or some other Pokemon, and then we beat you and you "blast off agaaain", and again and again."

"Seriously," Serena pitched in, placing a hand on her hip, "Don't you guys get sick of this?"

"Of course not!" James immediately replied, "Chasing you twerps and your Pikachu is our lives' purpose!"

"What would we do if not chase you?" Jessie followed up, "We've been chasing that Pikachu for years now! If we give up, then who will bring the comedic relief?!"

Meowth went next, "Yeah, and if we gave up, then what would the boss say?"

Riley sighed, "As far as I know, Team Rocket is a very powerful group. I don't mean to downplay Pikachu here, but I feel like if they wanted a Pikachu, they'd have hundreds by now."

"You don't know nothin'!" Exclaimed Meowth, baring his gleaming claws.

Jessie and James readied their Pokeballs. "We'll get that Pikachu no matter what!" "This time, you'll be the ones blasting off!"

Serena sighed, "It's like talking to a brick wall."

Zero stared up at Ash, who was talking to Pikachu; asking him if his partner was ready to fight. An urge suddenly came over her, like an annoying itch in a hard place to reach. She wanted to ask him something, even if she knew it was wrong. "Ash…?" She asked, "Would it be alright if...I fought them?"

A look of concern immediately came over Riley's face. This could get out of hand very quickly if Zero lost her temper. "Zero, what are you doing?"

"I won't kill them," Zero said without looking at him. Her eyes were dead set on the trio of rockets. "If that's what you're worried about. It's just to...relieve some stress…"

Zero walked past the group, up to the three Rockets and went into a battle stance.

"Should we...be letting her do this?" Ash asked to Riley.

He shrugged, shaking his head. "I dunno. I don't think she means to cause any real harm, but should things get out of hand, we can use our Aura to stop her."

"I don't know what Aura or whatever is," Meowth said, "But if you're sending a kid to fight, you gotta be more messed up than us!"

"Seriously," James added, "Have you no human decency? _We're_ supposed to be the villains!"

Jessie huffed. "Well, if she wants to play grown-up, then by all means. We'll just move onto the twerps after. Go, Seviper!"

James shook his head. "I was raised as a gentleman! I would never hurt a woman, much less a child, but if it's for the sake of Team Rocket, I have no choice! Go, Chimecho!"

Out from the two Team Rocket Grunts' Pokeballs came Seviper, a massive snake with long-curved fangs and a bladed tail. It had gold plating on its' head. Then came Chimecho, an odd, cyan blue Pokemon that resembled a bell with some kind of flag draping from the bottom.

Zero, unflinching, merely kept her stance stilled, awaiting the Team Rockets' orders. Jessie and James grinned somewhat cruelly, and then after a few moments, confusion took its' place.

"Um, say, Little girl?" James said, "You know you're supposed to use your own Pokemon too, right?

"Yeah, Jessie followed with an annoyed look, "We don't have all day, you know. Hurry up and release your Pokemon!"

Zero merely sighed and looked down, causing her face to become shadowed. Once again, the memories of her old Pokemon friends bludgeoned by her hand entered her mind. "...Release them? If only that were possible…"

Before Team Rocket could question what she meant, Zero bolted forward, sending James' Chimecho into a tree with a Blaze Kick, where it laid unconscious. The trio of rocketed, bewildered, whipped their gazes around to their Chimecho.

"...What...just happened?" They said in unison.

Tentatively, they turned back around to the little girl that had, apparently, just one-shotted one of their Pokemon by herself. They simply stared at her, dumbfounded, until an idea struck them.

"One moment please!" They simultaneously called to her, then whipped around and huddled together. "Did you see that?!" Meowth exclaimed, "That lil girlie can use Pokemon Attacks!" James nodded, saying, "Y'know, it's kind of like the opposite of you, Meowth! You learned to talk like a person and she learned to attack like a Pokemon!" Jessie chimed in, saying, "Who cares about that?! We should capture her!"

Nodding in approval, Meowth said with starry, dreamy eyes, "If we give her t' the boss, we'll be rolling around in dough! Check it."

Meowth huddled his two comrades closer together and, somehow, made a thought bubble appear that they could all see. Within that bubble, there was a man in a brown business suit with brown, well-oiled hair. He, or rather Meowth said,

"Gee! Bein' the Leader of Team Rocket sure is the best!" In the bubble, as Meowth's interpretation of Giovanni said this, the group envisioned their leader sitting atop a throne as thousands of Team Rocket Grunts saluted to him. Giovanni suddenly slouched over, looking depressed.

"But, it's lonely at the top...I'm so lonely!"

An idea struck the imaginary version of Giovanni suddenly, making him perk up and leap off of his throne. He ran over to a phone on the wall of his room and dialed a number. "I should call up the family for a little reunion! That should cheer me up!" Though, no one answered the phone. He tried another number, and still, no one picked up. Again and again, he dialed more and more numbers, becoming more and more depressed with each failed call. He gave up eventually and collapsed on the floor, sobbing.

"That's right..." He exclaimed through his exaggerated tears, "I don't have any family…"

Then, someone tugged on Giovanni's shirt. The boss looked over to who did this, and found a little, silver-haired girl smiling brightly at her. "You still have me, Father!" The imaginary Giovanni picked up the little girl, who had begun laughing happily. "That's right!" Giovanni exclaimed, "Meowth and his sidekicks gave me a daughter! I'll never have to be alone again!"

"That's right, father!" The girl cried, "You'll have me forever and ever!"

An evil laugh burst from the Team Rocket Boss, as the scene changed to the little girl firing a Hyper Beam from her hands while breathing flames upon a city while Giovanni laughed, towering over the flaming city. "And what's more, she's extremely powerful!" Bellowed Giovanni, "With her, no one can match up to me! World domination is all but assured! I'll have to pay Meowth and his sidekicks royally for this! WAHAHAHAHAHAHA!"

The imaginary scenario ended with Giovanni and his "daughter" laughing maniacally over the burning city, with the three giggling like gossiping school children at Meowth's devious plan. "That's genius, Meowth!" Cried James ecstatically. "We'll be buried in cash in no time!" Jessie said too.

With a satisfied grin, Meowth replied, "Of course! It's a foolproof plan!"

"Foolproof?" A voice spoke from above the three, "I don't think so."

"Oh yeah?!" Roared Jessie, turning around to the source of the voice, "And what would you know?!"

Zero, having overheard the Rocket Trio's plan, stared down at them darkly, flames burning in her hands. "You forgot the part where you actually caught me. How do you plan on doing that?"

"Easy!" Retorted Jessie, "Seviper, use-" Zero tossed the unconscious body of her Pokemon down to her feet.

"I beat it while you guys were talking."

James jumped to his feet, pointing wildly at Zero. "Hey, that's not fair! What, did your parents never teach you common decency, kid?!"

Jessie, fuming, followed up by shouting, "Yeah! Attacking our backs when we're distracted is cheating, you brat!"

Meowth simply shook his head, saying, "Kids these days…"

Zero raised an eyebrow and looked back to the rest of her group. "Are they always this dumb?"

Ash nodded. "More or less."

Jessie grit her teeth, seething with frustration. She pulled up the sleeve of her right arm and marched over to Zero "All right, kid, if you wanna play dirty, we can play dirty!" James and Meowth quickly grabbed hold of their female friend, desperately trying to hold her back.

"Wait, Jessie, you can't just hit a child!" Cried James, using every muscle in his body to keep Jessie at bay. "Yeah!" Said Meowth, "We may be a buncha creeps, but we can't stoop to beating up a lil kid!"

"Well, how do you expect us to capture her, then?!" Jessie roared.

The two stopped suddenly. "...Oh, that's right." They jumped into pouncing positions, ready to catch their next target with their bare hands. "Sorry, 'bout this, kiddo, but you left us outta options!" Meowth said to her.

Zero rolled her neck and summoned fire to her hands. "By all means."

Jessie growled. "Rrrrgh- she's looking down on us!"

"Don't think we're tough, huh?!" James followed, "I'll have you know we survived several hundred falls out of the sky!"

"Don't tell her that!" Meowth hissed.

Collectively, they chanted, "One...two...THREE!" and leapt at Zero to pin her down underneath them, but their target disappeared in the blink of an eye, making them crash face-first into the ground. Zero reappeared in front of them, holding an orange ball of energy and grinning coldly, chilling the Rockets to the bone.

"Um...uncle?"

Zero promptly unleashed the attack, resulting in a colossal explosion of smoke and the Trio of Rockets being blasted into the sky.

"Ooooh!" Jessie fumed, "Next time we see that brat, I'll make her cry!"

"Somethin' tells me she'll just make us fry…" Meowth said.

"Are our plans always doomed to go awry?" James said with a sigh.

" _We're blasting off agaiiiiiin!"_

Zero watched the trio of goons fly away with a satisfying ' _ting'_ and a flash of light. Turning around, Zero asked Ash and the rest of the gang who had now began to walk over to her, "Are they always like that?"

Ash nodded, "You get used to it eventually. Anyways, did you manage to relieve some stress?"

Zero, frowning, replied, "...If anything, it just made me more annoyed…"

Ash laughed at her response. "Yeah, that's how it usually goes with them."

With that incident over and done with, the gang continued their journey to Saffron City. They passed through a forest path, filled to the brim with life. Zero stared in awe as a flock of Butterfree passed by overhead.

"They're really pretty, huh?" Serena asked her. Zero nodded enthusiastically, making Serena giggle. "You know, after being surrounded by boys for so long, it's nice to have another girl to talk to."

Zero tilted her head, unsure of her meaning.

Serena continued, "We haven't really got much of a chance to talk, y'know? Everything's always too busy these days." A bright smile appeared on the older girl's face. "But now we have time to talk!"

Confused, Zero asked her, "About what?"

"Doesn't really matter," Serena told her, "It's just fun to talk to each other. It doesn't matter what we talk about, per se. It's just to...get to know each other."

"But I already saw everything about you in Ash's memories," Zero said to her.

"Well, I guess," Said Serena, cradling her head with her arms, "But those are his memories. Wouldn't you wanna make your own?"

Zero looked down, humming in thought. "...Make my own?"

"Yeah," Serena replied with a nod, "You're always making new memories with everything you do. So I was thinking we could talk and make some more." She trailed off for a second, looking away from the young girl, "I know you've had...a tough life, to say the least, and even though you're free, it seems to only keep getting tougher…" She then turned back to Zero with a bright grin, "I think it's sad that your only happy memories are someone else's, so I was thinking we could make some of your own."

Zero paused for a moment, mulling over Serena's words. She stared up at the older girl, then at last, gave her a smile of her own. "My own happy memories...that sounds nice."

"I thought so," Serena said to her, "So, then. Anything you want to talk about?"

Zero pondered this, placing a hand to her mouth in deep thought. Serena stared at her with a big grin to encourage her, but as time went on, it became strenuous to hold. Serena sweatdropped, staring down at the deeply-thinking girl awkwardly.

"...Is it that hard?" She asked.

Frowning, Zero replied, "Sorry...I can't think of anything…"

Serena sighed in exasperation. This might be more troublesome than she thought. She wanted to try and bond with the young girl over gossip or something of the sort, but Zero's blank-mindedness was making it difficult to say the least. Still, it wasn't Zero's fault, of course. She was still young and, knowing her...upbringing, she probably had less-than-pleasant thoughts, if any. She also probably didn't like the attention. Serena sighed once more. ' _Guess I can try again later_ …"

Zero spoke to her again, grabbing Serena's attention. "Sorry again...I can't think of anything...so can you help me?"

"Huh?"

"I can't think of anything," Zero told her, "So can you help me think of something to talk about?"

A smile returned to Serena's face. ' _So, she wants to talk after all_.' Clearing her throat, Serena grinned brightly at the young girl. "Well, what do you like? I think finding things you like and talking about those can help."

"Hmmmm…" Zero pondered. Things she liked? There wasn't anything in particular that came to mind. She loved the sight of Ash and Riley's Aura, but she doubted that Serena would care as much since she couldn't use it like they could. Her train of thought was interrupted by a flashback of the Eevee from yesterday. How it had imprinted on her so quickly, giddily running around at the thought of having a new family. Of course, it apparently wasn't meant to be. This did give her an idea, however.

"...You like Pokemon, right?" She asked Serena.

"Huh? Of course!"

"...Then let's talk about that."

Smiling, Serena replied, "I'd be glad to. So, do you have any particular favorite Pokemon?"

Surprisingly to even herself, it didn't take Zero long to reply at all. "Eevee."

Serena made a surprised 'o' at the mouth, not expecting such a quick reply. Her smile faded a bit, but she managed to keep it intact. Serena guessed her answer was based off of...last night's incident...A wave of sadness at Zero's expense came over the older girl, but she managed to keep her smile for the younger girl. "Eevee, huh? That's a wonderful choice."

"What's yours?" Zero asked her, "Your favorite Pokemon?"

"Well…" Serena took out a Pokeball and pressed the button on the center, releasing her loyal partner and friend Braixen whom she started her journey with. The elegant fox-like Pokemon let out a happy "Brai!" from being let out of her ball. "I don't like prioritizing one Pokemon over the other. They're all my wonderful friends who have helped me through thick and thin, but if I had to choose, it would be my partner Braixen." Braixen smiled gratefully at her trainer's words.

Zero's eyes immediately widened with adoration at the appearance of Serena's appearance, making an extended "Woah" that made Serena let out a laugh at the sheer adorableness of Zero's reaction.

"Of course," Serena started, "I love all Pokemon as well. They're mankind's lifelong partners, and Ash once told me something uncharacteristically wise once."

"What was it?" Zero asked, her void-like eyes somehow sparkling.

Serena giggled at her enthusiasm. "He once told me that anything a person can't do alone can be done with a Pokemon. They are integral parts of the world we live in."

"No way…" Zero said in awe.

"Yes way," Serena replied. ' _With how often and ferociously Zero battles, I forget that she's still a little kid._ '

Serena picked up the young girl and planted her on her shoulders. Before Zero could question her, Serena said, "Take a look around you, and up at the trees."

Zero held off her questions and did as she asked. She stared up at the trees, and then her eyes widened like dinner plates. She wasn't able to see it at her normal height, but now that she was higher, she saw wondrous things. She saw a variety of Bug Pokemon crawling and flying up and down the trees, bird Pokemon making nests for their young, and much more. A world of Pokemon previously invisible to her appeared before her very eyes thanks to Serena.

"See that?" Serena asked the young girl, "It's good that you love Pokemon so much. They're beautiful, aren't they?"

Zero, stunned, could only nod. She was too busy taking in the wonderful sights before her. Countless Pokemon rummaged through the trees and high bushes, peering down at the group. A small band of Teddiursa waved down at them from a tree. Zero, giggling happily, waved back.

' _Nailed it,_ ' Serena thought to herself, pumping her fist.

The group walked along this beautiful forest path until they saw a light, signifying its' end.

"Hey, there it is!" Ash exclaimed, rushing to the exit. Riley, Pikachu and Lucario followed suit. Serena put Zero back on her feet, ushering a short-lived pout from the young girl, and the two of them raced to catch up. Upon exiting the forest, they were met with the sight of a gleaming city from atop the cliffside they were now standing on.

"Ah, so this must be Saffron City," Riley stated, taking in the view. As the rest of the group marveled at the city, Lucario was not so ecstatic. He felt something ominous coming from the city, though it wasn't quite as overtly malicious as what the group had felt from the Lab back in Celadon. Regardless, it still put him off ease. He looked back at Ash and Riley to see if they had noticed it, but they hadn't.

' _So,_ ' He mused, ' _It's too weak for them to feel? ...Then why do I feel so...on edge?_ '

The sensation was gone as quickly as it came, leaving the Pokemon of Aura bewildered. Normally, such an instance would have been ignored in a situation like this, but Lucario was far from a fool. Activating his Auric Link to Riley, he said, ' _Riley. Do you feel that?'_

' _Feel what?'_

Lucario shook his head, ' _I guess not, then. I felt a malicious presence down in Saffron City for a moment. It was weak, so that explains why you couldn't feel it._ '

' _Yes, that is concer-hey wait, what's that supposed to mean?'_

Ignoring Riley's petty ire, he told his partner, ' _You know I am more skilled with Aura. It comes naturally to me. Anyways, I simply felt the need to tell you. Though it was weak, the maliciousness I felt was strong. Nearly as strong as Zero's when we first felt her Aura from above the Lab.'_

' _Well, I suppose that is a cause for caution. I'll relay it to the rest of the group_.'

Riley cut off the link to Lucario and turned to face the rest of the group. "Hey, guys. Lucario informed me that there's a malicious presence in Saffron City."

"Wait, really?" Serena asked, "Did he tell you what it was?"

Riley shook his head. "He told me it was too weak to identify, but the level of maliciousness it had…" He resisted the comparison to Zero, thinking it would alert them, "...It was immense, to say the least. He thought it was important enough to mention, so I'm mentioning it to you."

Ash stared down at the city, deep in thought. "A malicious presence? Could it be her?"

"Who, Ash?" Zero asked him, having apparently overheard his mumbling.

Ash jumped, no expecting to be overheard. "Oh-well, it's-..." He turned back to the city, deep in thought. It couldn't help to hell her, he guessed.

"I'm not sure, but if I had to guess, it might be the Gym Leader Sabrina."

"What makes you say that, Ash?" Riley asked.

Ash shuddered. "Well, let's just put it like this...last time I came here, Sabrina had a few screws loose, to put it lightly. I don't know if it's her for sure, since she seemed to get it together after I got her Badge."

"That reminds me," Serena started, "You said you beat her by...making her laugh. How did you do that?"

Ash went to answer, but found the memory difficult to, well, remember. He of course remembered that unfortunate instance that occured, but the rest of it was vague. Now that he thought about it, his memory was terrible. He forced himself to think harder, trying to remember what he did, but kept drawing up vague, blurry images. Smoke was practically flowing from his ears.

"Geez, don't hurt yourself," Serena commented, looking at him oddly.

"I got it!" Ash cried, "I ended up catching a Haunter to help me deal with her Psychic Pokemon, but it ended up just making funny faces at her instead of fighting. Somehow, that worked, and she gave me the badge."

"I see," Said Riley, "So where is this Haunter now?"

"It's still with her," Replied Ash, "I thought it would be safer to leave Haunter with her to keep her in check. As far as I know, it should still be there."

Riley nodded. "Well, that's fortunate, I suppose. If she goes out of control again, then Haunter should be able to remedy that situation."

Serena leaned in besides Ash, and asked him, "By the way, you keep saying she goes 'out of control', but what does that mean? What did she used to be like before your Haunter made her laugh?"

Ash's blood ran cold at the question. If they found out about the underwear incident, it would be the end of his dignity for good. So, he avoided the question and began marching toward the city, eager to get this Gym Bade and get out as fast as possible. "W-well, time's a-wasting! C'mon, guys, we're burning daylight!"

"Wha- Ash!" Serena protested, running down to follow him, "Hey, wait up! What's up with you?!"

Riley could practically feel the embarrassment radiating off of Ash. Whatever happened to him down in that city must have been unpleasant. Shrugging, he motioned for Zero and Lucario to follow him, and the three began making their way down to the city with the others.

As they approached the gate to the city, they could see that gate itself have "Saffron City" inscribed on what looked to be golden plating. Riley whistled, commenting "These guys sure save no expense, do they?"

Ash nodded, "I think all the competition it has with Celadon city for being the richest city in Kanto makes them want to show off as much as possible."

Riley nodded, "Makes sense. Business requires people and tourism inspires business, so they'd naturally want to sell the look of this place as much as possible."

"Yeah, that's all well and good," Said Serena, looking around what she could see of he city from their position, "But with all this tourism supposedly going on, you'd think there would be more...people?"

Riley summoned his Aura and, surely enough, there was no one. He couldn't sense a single living soul. Furrowing his brow, he told the group, "Serena's right. I can't sense a thing from in there...not a living soul."

Ash tensed up, "I knew coming here was a bad idea...but…"

Serena stared at him. "But…?"

Ash shook his head, "I may not like this place, but an entire city of people going missing is definitely something I can't just walk away from."

"I agree," Riley said with a nod, "It is my duty as an Aura Guardian to protect all life." Turning to his partner, he asked Lucario, ' _Is that weird sensation still there?'_

Lucario shook his head. ' _No. It hasn't reappeared since I first sensed it, but the people of this city going missing certainly confirms that there is a very malicious force nearby.'_

Riley nodded at him, then turned back to face the rest of the group. "All right, let's start investigating. Nobody break away from the group, though."

Zero stared blankly at the city, unsure of what to make of it. The group nodded collectively, and began their search. As they began walking through the city, it only became more ominous. Of course, not a soul was in sight. Trash billowed in the howling wind. Countless buildings stood tall in spite of this, though now they served no purpose.

"Let's see what's in Silph Co.," Ash suggested, "If anything's still here, it would be in there." The rest of the group nodded and approached the colossal building. Silph Co. HQ was the largest building in Kanto, and normally, guards and businessmen would be swarming around it. Now, there was nothing. No guards, no entrepreneurs, nobody.

They approached the building, marvelling for a moment at its' sheer scale, then walked inside. Or at least tried to. The screen doors, normally automatically opening, were shut tight. They tried the spinning door as well, still with no luck. As the group pondered what to do, Zero, unbeknownst to them, approached the glass doors and promptly punched through them, shattering them with ease.

"It's open now," She stated plainly, walking inside. The group stared at her with a mixture of shock and bewilderment, shrugged, and then followed inside.

"Woah," Serena commented, "This place is huge!"

Within the building, or at least its' first floor, there was a massive reception area. Large, rounded desks with computer terminals were scattered all over the place. Tables and seats also decorated the room, typically used for customers and the like to talk and eat while they're waiting for an appointment, but now...it was all empty. Hollow. It chilled Ash's group to the bone.

They made their way over to the elevators, and of course, failed to open them. The electricity had been completely cut off. It looked as if the rapture itself had taken the entirety of this city, leaving no trace of life but the shell of what it used to be.

"...We should get out of here," Serena said, starting to shiver.

Riley nodded. "I agree. This place feels...off, to put it bluntly."

Ash sighed in resignation, "...The Gym, it is."

They exited the building, returning to the empty wasteland of a city. Of course, still, there was no one. Not a soul existed within the city besides them. Tentatively, they began to approach the Gym. On their way, they spotted the Pokemon Center. From what they could see through the windows, there was still no one. Riley flared his Aura to check the inside for more life. As per his initial scan of the city, there was no one.

So, they moved on, readying themselves to get to the bottom of this mess. Lucario flinched suddenly and whipped around. Behind him, he could see a hunched-over figure cloaked in shadow. The moment Lucario noticed him, the figure sprinted into an alleyway out of sight.

' _Behind us,_ ' Lucario told his partner, ' _Something dashed into an alley.'_

' _What? That's impossible! I haven't sensed a thing since we arrived!'_

' _It could be obscuring its' presence,'_ Lucario offered, ' _And if it has that capability, it could very well be responsible for this fiasco.'_

' _I see,'_ Riley replied. He turned to the group next, motioning behind him with his thumb, "Lucario said he saw something behind us."

"Really?!" Serena exclaimed, "What was it?!"

"He doesn't know yet. It ran into an alley."

"Could it be what caused this?" Asked Ash.

Riley nodded, "I don't know, but it's the best option we have."

"So, how do we stop it?" Serena asked, "If it can just make people disappear, then what if it does the same to us?"

"I'll ambush it," Riley told them, "You all stay close behind me. If anything happens to me, attack it with all you have. You, your Pokemon, anything you have."

"Wait," Ash cut him off, "If we kill it, then what will happen to everyone?"

"I don't know," Riley admitted, "But I'm planning on interrogating it if I can. I simply don't want you all to meet the same fate. Trust me, I have no intention of dying, though, if it can be avoided."

Ash crossed his arms, humming. It sounded far too risky, but he couldn't see any better again, who was he of all people to be reluctant about risk? Especially when the lives of an entire city were at stake?

"Alright," Ash said, "Let's do this.

Riley nodded and turned to Lucario, who pointed out the alleyway the mysterious figure had run into. He gave his partner a thumbs-up and motioned for the group to follow. Taking Riley's advice, Ash and the others followed him, but at a distance as to not meet the potential fate of the rest of the city's inhabitants. Riley hunched up against a wall of a building, right behind the corner the figure had gone into. Steeling himself and calming his heart rate, the Aura Guardian took a deep breath, summoned his Aura along with an Aura Sphere into his palms, and whipped around the corner.

"Don't make a move!" Riley roared.

A terrified scream was the response he got. From inside the dark alleyway, Riley's Aura illuminated the figure. It was an old man in shaggy, worn-down and ripped clothes with an equally-worn brown jacket. The man was practically covered in wrinkles, and his skin was as pale as the moon. The old man stared up at Riley in horror, frantically scrambling backwards, but he couldn't manage to pick himself up.

"P-please!" The old man rasped weakly, "D-don't hurt me!"

The rest of Ash's group neared and peered around the corner of the dark alleyway, though at a distance they could run if necessary.

"It's an old guy?" Serena whispered.

"Guess so," Ash replied.

Zero merely looked on at the man oddly. She felt no power whatsoever from the old man, but then again, it could be a ruse meant to lure them into a trap. Narrowing her eyes, she held her right hand behind her and summoned flames in her palm in case things turned south.

Riley glared at the man, unwavering from his position. He tried to sense the old man's intentions, but his Aura signature was too low for him to sense nearly anything from him...or he was obscuring it…

"Tell me," Riley ordered, "Are you responsible for what happened to the citizens of this city?"

The old man cowered, raising his hand as if to shield himself. "N-no! P-please, you have to believe me!"

If Riley could sense the old man's intentions, this would be a lot easier. He seemed genuine enough, but evil people were generally good actors when it came to making sure they survived to commit even more atrocities.

"What's your name?" Riley asked him.

"A-adam!" The old man replied quickly, "My name is Adam!"

"Adam, huh?" Riley mused, "Well, _Adam_ , if you're not responsible for this, why are you the only one left?"

The old man hesitated, going almost completely stiff. He licked his lips and raspily inhaled. He frantically looked around as if trying to find an escape route, but as he tried to push off the ground, he fell onto his back once more. His hesitance to answer all but confirmed to Riley that this man was the culprit.

"Start talking," He ordered, "Or else. As an Aura Guardian, I can't just let you walk away knowing you're responsible for the disappearance of an entire city's population." His Aura began sparking menacingly to further his threat, making the man yell in terror.

"N-no, please! I'll tell you what I know!" The old man forced himself into a sitting position, creating cracking noises from seemingly every inch of his body as he did so. The group behind Riley, barring Lucario, couldn't help but flinch at the uncomfortably morbid noise. "...It was the Gym Leader, Sabrina…" The old man rasped, "Her power went berserk and she…"

The old man was cut off by a sudden coughing fit that made him double over, wheezing desperately for air. Riley contemplated whether or not he should help the old man, but his duty to protect life pushed him to do so, as even if this was a trap, intentionally letting an old man die before him would hardly sit well with his conscience. Kneeling beside the mysterious old man, Riley placed a hand on his shoulder and allowed a small portion of Aura to flow into the old man. He looked horrified at the blue energy, but couldn't find the strength to avoid Riley's touch. As the glowing blue energy seeped into the frail old man, his coughing eventually ceased, being replaced with a raspy sigh.

"Thank you…" The old man Adam rasped, clutching at his chest as he breathed, "But...what did you just do?"

"It's Aura," Riley replied, "In short, it's life energy. But I don't trust you yet. What I've given you will only last about an hour, unless you can convince me you had no part in this. You were saying something about the Gym Leader, Sabrina right?"

Adam nodded. "Yes...just two days ago, Sabrina lost herself to her own power. It began growing exponentially about three years ago, just two years after a trainer named Ash had managed to free her from her previous uncontrolled state…"

Ash wanted to step out of his position at the mention of his name, but Lucario made sure to tug on his arm to stop him from doing anything stupid.

"Ash?" Riley asked, "I... _heard_ that Ash had beaten her by having his Haunter make her laugh."

"You have?" The old man asked, looking up curiously at Riley, "How do you know that? Are you a friend of his?"

"If I find you to be trustworthy, I'll tell you," Retorted Riley, "For now, keep explaining what happened and I'll see if I can tell you."

"Fair enough," Rasped Adam, "Anyways...Actually, perhaps I should start from the beginning…"

"Wait, the beginning?" Asked Riley, "How far back does this go?"

The old man wheezed out a sad sigh, "...Ever since Sabrina was born, her Psychic powers were incredible. As a toddler, she was powerful enough to crumple metal spoons with her mind alone, and effortlessly at that. As a child, she could pick up a house with her Psychic powers. As a teenager, she could turn a house into a paperweight. But as she got older and older, her powers isolated her from the rest of reality, and she became controlling, manipulating, and cold."

The man flinched. Riley surmised it was because of an unpleasant memory of what came next. "...She became attached to an old doll of hers, which she channeled her Psychic powers through. For whatever reason, one that I still don't know to this day, that doll made her cruel and cold. She turned people she didn't like into dolls and threw trainers who had lost Gym Battles to her out of her Gym with her powers, uncaring if they were harmed by it. Including her own mother."

Adam grimaced, clutching at his heart. Riley made an attempt to help him, but the old man held up his hand as if to say he was fine. "...That was, until Ash's Haunter had been able to make her laugh," He explained next, "Her first laughter in ages made her drop the doll, which disappeared afterward and turned Sabrina back to normal. Ash wisely left the Haunter with her to make sure she never became like that again, but…"

"But?" Riley asked after about a minute of silence from the old man.

Adam cringed, shaking his head. "...Haunter was able to keep Sabrina in check for about two years. It was always able to make her laugh, never failing even once...until three years ago. One day, Sabrina was in a terrible mood. I believe this to be because her growing power was causing her stress. Haunter, as usual, tried to make her laugh. For the first time ever, it failed."

He continued after another long pause, his voice becoming raspier with every breath, "She could no longer laugh. She appreciated the Haunter's attempt to help, but it simply no longer worked. Then, the Haunter's joking, instead of having no effect, began having the opposite effect. Haunter agitated her more and more, but she still considered it a friend and tried to keep her frustration to herself. About a week ago, she lost it and attacked the Haunter as it tried to cheer her up."

Ash couldn't help but wince thinking about his old Pokemon being attacked for trying to help. He only knew the Haunter for a short time, but even in that short time he could tell that Haunter always meant well. Though Haunter lacked the ability to take anything seriously, it still always meant well.

"The Haunter," Adam continued, "Fled after being attacked by Sabrina, never to be seen again. Sabrina grieved over the loss of her closest friend, only causing her stress to rise tremendously, along with her ever-growing power. Two days ago, she lost her power completely, turning the entire city, both Pokemon and people, into toys and draining away at their life forces, only leaving enough to keep them alive."

"...I see," Riley said, "Is that all of it?"

Adam nodded solemnly. "Just about all of it."

"How do you know this?" Riley asked, narrowing his eyes, "Are you some kind of accomplice?"

The old man bowed his head guiltily, "...You could say I was an accessory to this whole mess, yes...you see, I am Sabrina's father."

Serena, Ash and Pikachu gasped. Ash's blood ran cold again. This was the man who had forced him to undergo that embarrassing dance in front of his friends five years ago. That incident gave him nightmares for weeks! Though, something else struck Serena as odd while Ash was grieving over the dignity he'd lost that fateful day. The man claimed to be her father, yet he was old and wrinkled like a raisin. She wanted to ask, but knew that abandoning her position could be disastrous.

"...Her father, huh?" Riley remarked with a disappointed sigh, "And you let her get like this?"

Adam nodded sadly. "You're right. When I saw the rate at which Sabrina's power was rising, I became afraid of her. I was a coward, and my cowardice led me to avoid Sabrina at any cost. This was likely one of the main factors that led to her eventual unleash. My wife, Sabrina's mother, tried her hardest to keep Sabrina sane, but her alone wasn't enough. When Sabrina lost control entirely and kidnapped the entire city, she still apparently had enough sanity left to leave us unharmed. My wife finally convinced me to confront our daughter, and together, we did so…"

Adam gripped at his pant leg, furious with himself. "Sabrina, she-...My wife was very stern with her, while I meagerly stood behind her, unwilling to say anything for fear of incurring her wrath. I think that Sabrina took it hard, believing that her mother's message was us abandoning her, even though it couldn't have been further from the truth. She turned her own mother into a doll and tried to do so to me as well. I ran, like the coward I've always been, and managed to escape, though not entirely…"

He tugged at one of his wrinkles. "As you can see, I'm nothing more than a feeble old man now. Sabrina trapped me within this city and has been eating away at my life force from afar, which is why you see me in the state I am now. Were it not for you, I would likely be dead by now…"

His look of sadness furled into an odd, questioning one. "By the way, why are you folks here? Didn't you listen to the news?" Ash's group flinched, thinking they somehow blew their cover.

"Folks?" Riley questioned, "What are you talking about? I'm by myself."

The old man let out a short laugh. "I wasn't born yesterday, you know. I'll have you know my Psychic powers aren't exactly as feeble as my body. My family has been a long line of Psychics for ages. Also, I saw your whole group before I ran in here."

Riley sighed and motioned for the rest of the group. Nodding, they entered the alleyway, staying behind Riley in case this was still some kind of trap, or something like that.

"Well, you got us there," Riley admitted, "But what's this about the news?"

"What, have you not been paying attention to the news lately?!" Adam demanded, "An entire town disappearing is something that would be covered rather quickly, you know. They even sent a platoon of Officer Jenny's to investigate, and they were all turned into toys when they entered the Gym! After that, I guess they told trainers and travelers to avoid the city."

Ash and Serena turned to each other. They hadn't really gotten the chance to watch the news since the last time they were even at a Pokemon Center was in Celadon. With all the craziness ensuing there and since then, there never really was a moment they could have checked the news.

"No," Riley answered for the group, "We've been...busy, as of late." He resisted the urge to look at Zero, just in case it gave the old man any hints.

"I see," Grumbled Adam, "Well, then, why _have_ you come here?"

A question like that posed a paradoxical problem for Riley. If he answered truthfully, then if this man was working with Sabrina, he could tell her with his Psychic powers in exchange for sparing his own life, but Riley had no means of sensing Adam's intentions since the old man's life force was so weak. If he used his own Aura to strengthen Adam, he would weaken himself and possibly leave himself open to an attack. The obvious solution was to deny him an answer, but this man could also know a potential weakness of Sabrina that could be exploited to save the city, and leaving an old man to die, potential enemy or not, hardly sat well with him.

"You know," The old man said, "I pointed out earlier that my Psychic abilities were still strong even though my body was frail. If I had wanted to cause you harm, I would have blown you away from me to escape once I was cornered."

"What the-?!" Exclaimed Riley, taking a step back in shock. He'd read his entire thought process!

The old man wheezed out a laugh. "Sorry for the scare. I can read minds too, you know. Just one more advantage of bein' a psychic."

Riley furled his lips into a frown, but held back his urge to voice his displeasure as a potentially-crude remark. "I see," He said, "Does that mean, then, that Sabrina will be able to do so as well?"

The old man nodded. "She likely already knows you're all here, and your intentions at that." He narrowed his eyes judgingly at Riley. "You mean to defeat her, right?"

Riley hesitantly nodded, unsure of how the old man would react to his answer. Then again, now knowing the man before him was a Psychic, Adam probably already knew the information that he was withholding from him anyways, so there was no longer any point in trying to hide it. "...Yes. We do. We were originally here to obtain two Gym badges for my friends here," He motioned to Ash and Serena, "But now that we know a more pressing matter is at hand, I believe we'll save it for a later date if it can be helped. The lives of this city's denizens are, of course, far more important."

The old man nodded, apparently approving of Riley's answer even though he likely already knew what he was going to say. "I see," He said, "Well, to be honest, I wouldn't really mind if you took care of her." When he noticed Riley's intent to demand his meaning, he quickly rephrased himself. "Pardon that, I didn't mean it like that. Sabrina is my daughter, after all. I don't mean any ill will towards her. All I am saying is that I wish for this chaos she's stirred up to stop. If that means harming her, then...so be it. All I ask is that you do not kill her." He looked up at Riley judgingly. "You won't, will you?"

Riley scoffed at the old man, turning away from him to walk away. The last thing he said to him over his shoulder was, "You already know, don't you?"

He turned away from the old man before he could respond and motioned for the rest of the group to follow him, walking out of the alleyway. The others followed suit, except Ash who spared one last glance at the old man Adam, not out of spite for the incident when he'd first met him, but out of curiosity. He couldn't get a handle on what was really going through his mind, or even if what he was saying was true.

"You know, Ash said, "You really should come with us. It's your daughter we're talking about. Don't you want to help save her?"

"Save her?" Asked Adam with a curious look on his face, reading Ash to see his meaning, "You mean, save the city folk, right?"

"Well yeah," Ash responded, "But I want to save Sabrina as well. From what I've heard, she's had a rough life. You might have read all our minds already, but one of my friends, the little girl who was with us...she had a terrible life up until now. One I can't even begin to describe to you." He shook his head. "With the help of my friends, we managed to save her and give her a new chance at life. If I can help it, I'd want to do the same for Sabrina."

"Hey, Ash!" Riley called, "Come on, we're moving onto the Gym!"

"Just a minute!" He called back, then turned back to face Adam. "My point is, I want to help Sabrina too." He offered his hand to the old man, who looked at him oddly, then, apparently having read nothing deceitful about Ash's mind, accepted it. Immediately, a rush of energy from Ash's deep blue Aura surged through the old man. Adam stared in awe at himself and the energy coursing through his veins. He felt incredible, more so than he did even before his life force was drained away.

"That should keep you on your feet for now," Ash said, releasing Adam's hand, "I may not be able to sense your intentions, but Sabrina is your daughter, and I think that the best thing to help her would be for you to try and help her. You won't have to do it alone anymore, you know."

The old Psychic blankly gaped at him, seemingly awed at Ash's actions and uncharacteristic wisdom. His entranced look slowly turned into an appreciative smile."You...I remember you...You're Ash, right?"

Ash nodded.

"I see...yes, I remember you quite clearly. You're that young trainer I made dance in his underwear all those years back! To think you would-"

Ash nearly fell over in disbelief, but quickly regained his balance and cupped a hand over the old man's mouth, cutting him off so, hopefully, no one would hear him. If word of that tragedy got out, he would never be able to live it down.

"Not so loud!"

"Ash!" Riley called again, more sternly, "What's going on?!"

"N-nothing!" He quickly answered, "I'll be out in a sec!" He awaited a response, but received none and took it as a sign that the others would still wait for him. Sighing in relief that his secret was safe, for now, he let go of Adam, who was now grinning knowingly at him, and turned to leave. "Could you do me a solid and _not_ talk about that?"

The old man chuckled. "Well, I don't know about that. It would be pretty funny to see their reactions, you know."

"I'm not laughing."

"Alright, alright," Conceded Adam, "Your secret is safe with me."

Ash sighed with relief. "Thank you. So, are you coming with me?"

The old man hummed in deep thought, but didn't respond.

Ash stared at him sternly, but ultimately turned away towards the entrance of the alleyway. As he was about to exit, without turning back to the old man, he said simply, "Just think about it, alright?" and walked away, leaving Adam alone to his thoughts.

"Took you long enough," Riley chided, "What did you say to him?"

Ash merely shrugged. "All I did was ask him to help us. I thought if anyone could get through to Sabrina, it would be him."

"And judging by him not following you, I suppose that means he refused?"

"He said he'd think about it," Ash told him.

"Of course he did," Riley spat, narrowing his eyes.

Serena stepped in front of him with a stern look on her face. "Hey, what's your deal? You've been in a bad mood ever since we left the alley!"

"I've been in a bad mood since I met that cretin," Riley shot back, "He acts so...apathetic, like nothing really matters to him. Not even his own daughter! What's more, I couldn't sense his intentions, so I had no way of even knowing if he was telling the truth about this whole thing." He turned to Ash, "You gave him some of your Aura didn't you?"

Ash nodded. "I thought it would be best. I thought I could win him over with a show of kindness, but…"

"It wasn't the case, right? A man like that, who would willingly ignore his own daughter for years and leave her to her torment when he _knowed_ she was suffering-! Even when the lives of an entire city was at stake-!" Riley clenched his fists and teeth, aggravated beyond words. He let out a breath, allowing himself to relax. "I'm sorry for my behavior," He said, "But as an Aura Guardian, that man goes against everything I stand for." He stared at Ash with narrowed, but less-intense eyes as before. "You shouldn't have given him your Aura. I made sure he had enough to survive until we defeated Sabrina and freed the town, so he would have been fine anyways. Giving your Aura to him was a _waste_. You should have saved it."

Ash stared down, unsure how to respond. Being optimistic, about people and the world in general, was how he always was, and he couldn't imagine not being like that. A part of him knew Riley was right, but another part told him that he should remain true to himself. Helping others, even if they didn't deserve it, was simply how he was.

Riley, seeing the internal turmoil Ash was in, put a hand on his shoulder. "Listen, Ash...you're a good person. Better than me for sure, but...not everyone else is, and they will exploit you for it.. You can do amazing things! Your Aura is unrefined, and that's natural. You're still young, after all, but even still, your Aura is far greater than my own, and kinder than anyone else I've ever seen. You simply need to know where to direct that power."

He lifted Ash's head up and pointed down at the Gym ahead of them, where Sabrina, and all of her toy captives lied in wait for them to arrive. "Let me give you another lesson as an Aura now, your power and kindness needs to be directed there, where countless people are suffering and afraid, including Sabrina herself. We—Me, Serena, Zero, Pikachu, Lucario— we all need you and your power as well. We need it so we can help others. I know this is hard to hear, but there are times where we can't save everyone, so we, as Aura Guardians, must focus on the majority."

"I...can't accept that…" Ash said, "I want to help everyone, deserving or not! No... _everyone_ is deserving of help. Everyone is deserving of a second, or a third, or however many chances it takes for them to become good again! My Aura...it tells me this. My Aura is me, and I know I'm right."

Riley sighed. "I wish that were true. I thought similarly once. When I was first learning Aura. I wanted to learn it so that I could help as many people as I could, but then reality hit me. There are some people who, for helping them, will only hurt you and exploit you. If given the chance, they'd do the same to others, and use the chances to better themselves you would give them to hurt even more."

He looked like he wanted to say more on that subject, but cut himself off. "Listen, as much as I would like to continue this, we need to get going. The longer we stand around, the longer those people have to suffer, so...we should get moving."

Without letting the others respond, Riley turned away and began making his way to the Gym. Lucario gave Ash a quick look as if to say 'He's right, you know,' and followed his partner. Serena and Zero approached Ash.

"Hey," Said Serena, "You okay?"

"I didn't...expect a speech like that from Riley of all people," Zero admitted, "Normally, he's always happy and upbeat, but there...he looked angry for a second...but then he seemed very sad."

Ash nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. And you're right, Zero. Something tells me…" He looked solemnly at Riley, "He's been hurt before, badly, to have been able to say something like that…"

With that, the group began following Riley, readying themselves to take on Sabrina and free the city once and for all. They hoped that Sabrina herself could be saved as well. Little did they know, a certain old man had been listening in on their heated little conversation.

…

The doors of the Saffron City gym flung open, propelled by a cyan blue light that sent them crashing into the walls at their sides due to their hinges and eliciting a resounding crashing noise.

"No room for subtlety, huh?" Serena jabbed as the group stepped inside.

Without looking back at her, Riley answered, "There's no point anyways. She already knows we're here."

As if on cue, the doors slammed shut again behind them, making Serena and Pikachu yelp. Another set of doors down the dark hallway opened as well, as if beckoning them...or daring them...to enter. Without the slightest bit of hesitation, Riley, Zero and Lucario stepped forward, whereas Ash took a moment to breathe deeply to calm his nerves. It, of course, didn't work. The overpowering force of Sabrina's Psychic powers too intense to simply ignore. Looking over to Serena and Pikachu, both of them looked unsteady as well, but they were trying their hardest to keep up an act.

"It's getting to you too, right, guys?" Ash asked them. They nodded.

"Yeah," Serena admitted, "I'm trying to keep up a brave face, but having an opponent that can read your every thought is unnerving."

"Pii…" Pikachu replied with a look of unsureness.

"I know, right?" Said Ash, "Taking a look at the other three…" They turned their gaze up at Zero, Riley and Lucario who continued on without flinching, in spite of Sabrina's overwhelming presence.

"It's like nothing gets to them!" Exclaimed Serena.

"I don't know about that," Ash replied, "Zero's seen...far worse thing than this. As for Riley and Lucario...I think they're just really good at putting up an act." He shook his head, getting rid of his train of thought. "Anyways, we've wasted enough time. Let's catch up."

Ash allowed his partner to hop onto his shoulder and made his way back up to the group. Serena, meanwhile, pondered his words. ' _Putting up an act?'_ She thought, ' _What would they need to hide?'_ She snapped herself out of her thought process, seeing that the rest of her group was nearing the entrance to the next room, and ran up to meet them.

The doors, yet again, slammed shut behind them as they entered the room with a resounding thud. At first, the room was too dark for them to make anything out, until Lucario and Riley summoned their Aura to shed some light. Ash took it upon himself to do so as well, though his weaker grasp on Aura made it so his hardly meant a thing. As parts of the black walls were illuminated, the group let out a series of horrified gasps. Decorating the walls on wooden rows were dolls, each and every one of them holding a small candle. Incredibly lifelike ones as well. Dolls of average, everyday people. Businessmen, ordinary civilians, a Nurse Joy, that platoon of Officer Jenny's that Adam had spoken of earlier, and even a wide assortment of Pokemon as well. Ash narrowed his eyes when he came upon a doll of a baby, simply perched up next to a lady Ash assumed was its' mother. Yet, the mother could not hold it, and the baby could not be held by her. The force known as Sabrina made sure of that.

"My Arceus…" Serena breathed out in disbelief.

"It's...horrible!" Ash exclaimed.

Riley clenched his fists, and Lucario flared his Aura in apparent fury that Ash and even Serena could feel.

" _Do you like them…?"_

The group whipped their gazes' at the source of the voice, still cloaked in the darkness. Riley motioned at Ash and Serena's bags. The two of them nodded and brought out the entirety of their Pokemon teams. They might need them for the battle ahead. Pikachu, Braixen, Infernape, Pangoro, Sceptile, Sylveon, Hawlucha, Clefable, Goodra and Noivern appeared in brilliant, but fleeting, flashes of light, ready to take on the battle ahead.

" _Shhhhhhhhhhhhhh-!"_ How a whisper could be so loud was beyond the group. It sounded akin to nails on a chalkboard, forcing them all to cover their ears. It seemingly came from every direction as well, bouncing off the walls to only make the noise more unbearable. The voice finally ended the hissing shush, but spoke again. " _Do not wake them! They are sleeping."_

Suddenly, two of the candles in the hands of the dolls, the ones nearest to the doors, alit. Two more above and below them followed suit, again and again more and more rapidly with whitish-blue eerie flames until the entire room was lit. Ash could feel his breath get caught in his throat as he watched the candle flames race across the room from left to right and top to bottom. The candles stopped suddenly, after having apparently reached the end of the room. Towards the center of the back of the room, one more candle lit up. A doll resembling a woman was perched on a singular wooden plank, wearing a bright yellow dress. Beneath that doll was a woman—a real one—sitting in a makeshift wooden throne that looked more like woodchips and splinters in the shape of a chair rather than a real wooden chair.

The woman had long, black hair that draped over her face and she wore a blue, spotted sundress and ragged slippers that both looked as if they had survived an encounter with a ravenous beast. Her skin was pale, somehow even more so than Adam's. She rasped out a breath, one so cold that the group could see it appear and disappear in a cloud of fleeting smoke. The pale woman was suddenly surrounded by a bluish-purple glow and floated out of her seat momentarily and placed herself onto her feet. The moment she broke contact with her 'throne', it fell apart.

" _I know why you are here,_ " She rasped, " _You are here to kill me! To desecrate my home, and then kill my children as well!_ "

Her hair was blown upwards as she raged, allowing the light of the candles to illuminate her face. Like the rest of her body, she was completely pale, like she hadn't seen the sun in years. Ash gaped, completely taken aback by the woman's appearance. If this was Sabrina, she was almost completely unrecognizable from how she used to be. Even when she was evil before, she didn't look anything like... _this_! The only things that stayed constant was her eyes. Her glowing, malicious, yellow eyes.

"Your children?" Riley asked her, "You mean these dolls? Or rather, you mean the thousands of people you've abducted from their lives to serve as your plaything?"

" _Silence!_ " She hissed, " _You don't know anything! You know nothing about us! My children need me! Begone from this place; you're disturbing them!"_

"Oh, _I'm_ disturbing them?" Riley spat, "That's rich coming from the likes of _you_ : one who would steal them away from their lives! Hear me, I _will_ save them."

Before Sabrina could retort, Zero stepped forward. "You…" She spoke, "You are like me. How I used to be. You are a creature of madness, trapped in insanity by your own power." She stared down at her hands, clenching them at the memory of what she had done in her own madness. "But...there is a difference between you and I. You had a chance. While I was molded against my will by forces I could not control, you had an average life. You are _weak._ "

Sabrina snarled at her, " _Who do you think you are, child?! You dare call me weak?!_ "

"In spirit, yes," Answered Zero without hesitation, "I know because I was once weak in spirit too. I had no control over my actions, and I hurt many I care about because of it. Seeing you here, like this, it...reminds me of myself. How I was before I was saved." She allowed her eyes to open, unveiling her black voids. Sabrina stepped back in shock.

Serena stepped forward next, "But we still managed to save her! What seemed like an impossible situation was made possible, and together we freed Zero from her torment. If you don't believe us, you can feel free to read our minds." She stretched her arms outwards as if to accept the psychotic Gym Leader. "Please, allow us to save you!"

" _Save me?!_ " Sabrina shrieked, " _I am in no need of saving! Here, I am all-powerful, and I use that power to protect my children!_ "

"What happened to you?!" Ash demanded, stepping forward, "Sabrina!"

Sabrina eyes him with shock that quickly turned to malice. " _You-! You're that boy…! The one who gave me-"_

She cut herself off, unwilling to finish the sentence. Sabrina looked as if she was in a great deal of pain, remembering something unpleasant. Or unbearable, more like gripped at her head, allowing her hair to fall over her face again.

"Haunter, right?" Ash answered for her, eliciting a pained groan from Sabrina. "...What happened to you, Sabrina? When I first met you, you were cold, but not evil. What happened?"

" _Shut up…_ "

Ash reached out to her. "Was it your Psychic Powers?"

" _Shut up!"_

"Was it Haunter?"

" _SHUT UP!_ "

"Or was it...your dad?"

A berserked scream tore its' way out of the maddened woman's throat, piercing the ears of the group and even threatening to put out the flames of the candles surrounding them. " _I told you...TO SHUT UUUUP!_ "

Sabrina shot her hand out at Ash, sending an invisible Psychic pulse at him that threw him back through the doors behind them, locking him out.

"Ash!" Cried Serena, running to his aid. Or at least she tried to. The moment she turned to run, she was stopped in her tracks by an invisible force. Frightened, she tried to yelp, but couldn't seem to even do that. Every inch of her was held still.

" _Where do you think you're going?!_ "

Sabrina's yellow eye shone through her black hair as she turned her grip to Serena. " _Die._ "

She made a motion with her hand as if she was about to crush something, but Zero quickly took the initiative and bared her fangs, now coated in Dark-Type energy, to attack the Psychic woman and burst off the ground to do so. With her free hand, Sabrina caught Zero in her grip and pressed her against the floor. The force became so intense that Zero felt the air being squeezed from her lungs, and she choked desperately to breathe.

"Enough!" Roared Riley. He and Lucario nodded to one another and placed their hands together, summoning a massive Aura Sphere between the two of them. "You've held the citizens of this city hostage for long enough! I won't allow you to make them suffer any more, nor will I allow you to harm my friends! If you won't listen to reason, then I have no choice but to subdue you and _force you to_!"

The two partnered Aura Guardians launched the ball of Aura forward, making Sabrina's eyes widen like dinner plates. She quickly let Zero and Serena go, focusing her Psychic powers on blocking the large ball of energy instead. Zero made sure to let her know just how big of a mistake that was. Leaping of the ground, Zero flipped around mid air and delivered a devastating Dark Pulse attack to her back.

Sabrina cried out in pain but, to her credit, didn't break under the pressure from the attack. Instead, she used her left arm to create a barrier to block the attack, but the Dark-Type energy, unaffected by her Psychic powers, rushed through it, colliding with her and giving Serena an idea.

"Pangoro!" She called, "You're a Dark Type now! You're immune to Psychic attacks! Quickly, use Bullet Punch!"

With a cocky grin, Pangoro nodded, cracked his neck, and proceeded to rush the vulnerable Psychic. With incredible speed, Pangoro leapt over Riley and Lucario so he was face-to-face with Sabrina, winked at her, and promptly pulled back his fists.

"GOOOOORORORORORORORORORORORO! GOOOOOROOOOO!"

The next thing Sabrina knew, she was being assaulted at every single, possible angle by a series of punches moving at blinding speeds. What's more, each and every punch was coated in cold, hard steel. Agony overcame Sabrina's senses. She let her Psychic powers drop, letting the Aura Sphere impact her. Grinning, Pangoro got a new idea from this. The giant panda Pokemon swerved around and began rapidly punching the Aura Sphere into Sabrina. With a mighty roar, Pangoro shot one last punch Sabrina's way, shooting her through the roof and sending her flying into the window of a nearby skyscraper.

"Goro!" Pangoro exclaimed, crossing his arms. He appeared very satisfied with his "handiwork".

Serena, on the other hand, sweatdropped sheepishly at her Pokemon's display of power. "I...think you may have taken it a bit too far…"

Ash burst through the doors. "Guys! Are you all-"

He was greeted with the sight of everyone still in battle stances, a very pleased-looking Pangoro, and a gaping hole in the ceiling.

"...ok?"

Riley nodded, "Well, we are now, thanks to Serena's Pangoro."

"Yeah, just, don't stroke his ego too much," Said Serena, noticing her Pokemon looking more smug by the second.

Ash chuckled awkwardly. "Well, I guess I was panicking for nothing then. When I was thrown out, the doors locked tight and I couldn't get them to budge!"

"It's not over yet," Riley pointed out, motioning to the dolls still strewn across the room's walls, "They're still dolls."

Serena's eyes widened. "Wait, she's not defeated yet?!"

Pangoro's smug grin faltered a bit.

"Either that, or only Sabrina herself can undo it," Answered Riley, "We should go look for her."

"Right!" The group said collectively with a nod.

The group made their way outside where, to their dismay, a dense cloud of fog had brewed, obscuring most of the city from the group's view. Though, as they turned up to look at the skyscraper Sabrina had been thrown into, it was, oddly not covered by the fog at all. It looked as if the fog itself, somehow, was actively avoiding it, sluggishly swirling around it.

"What the…" Whispered Riley warily.

"I can barely see a thing," Serena stated, squinting as if doing so could aid her gaze in piercing through the fog, "But that building...why isn't it covered in the fog?"

"I don't know," Ash replied, "But I have a bad feeling…"

As if on cue, cracks began appearing from the building, spreading out in the shape of spider webs from the window Sabrina was launched through. Then, to the group's utter disbelief, the skyscraper split in two; the top half levitating from the bottom. The top half of the skyscraper creaked and groaned as it was bent, crumpled and shattered, raining broken glass and stone from it. A shrill, metallic screeching sound roared from the crunching heap of stone and metal, forcing Ash's group to cover their ears and double over.

A loud crash boomed from the remains of the top half of the building, and then it exploded...yet the debris did not fall. It swirled, 'round and around one singular source, unknown to the group. Though, they had an inkling. From the the center of the swarming mass of shrapnel that was once half of a skyscraper, Sabrina glared at them with such hatred that the group could feel the heat of her angered gaze.

"What in the hell?!" Riley exclaimed.

"She's still up!" Ash followed.

Serena gaped up at the sheer destructive force of the Psychic Gym Leader, trembling. She could hardly breathe, let alone speak.

With an ear-piercing screech that seemed impossibly loud for a human to make, Sabrina rained hell onto the group. She had become completely insane, and words would have no meaning. Quickly, Riley, Lucario and Ash shot a pulse of Aura forward that formed into a barrier, shielding the group from the shrapnel. The smaller pieces had no effect on their shield, but the larger pieces were tougher to deal with. The three of them collectively winced as a particularly large chunk of the building collided with their barrier, but ultimately were able to hold it.

Fuming at the sight of her attack having virtually no effect on the group, Sabrina screeched and, looking down, made a gesture with her hands as if she was yanking something out of the ground. Then, the bottom half of the building erupted from the ground as well, breaking pipes and uprooting large chunks of the ground with it. Though this time, she had no intention of breaking it apart. Grinning sadistically at Ash and the others, she raised the building over her head.

"Uh, Riley?!" Ash asked, panicking, "Can we block that?!"

Riley, just as stunned and dumbfounded as Ash, slowly shrugged his head. "...I don't think so…"

With a shrill bellow that hardly sounded human, Sabrina hurled the bottom part of the skyscraper. The group, in turn, winced and braced for impact, but Zero had other plans. Without flinching in the slightest, the young girl hopped on top of the barrier, knelt down, and launched herself up at the building.

"ZERO!" Ash called to her.

Zero, ignoring Ash's call, charged a Hyper Beam between her hands and unleashed it into the building. The ensuing laser plowed through the building chunk as if it was paper mache, racing up through floor after floor and blowing out the windows as it went. Sabrina's eyes shot open and she bent backwards at an angle her spine should not have been able to survive to barely dodge the laser, watching it sail into the sky with a mixture of shock and animal-like fury plastered on her face. Though the laser was mighty, it still wasn't enough to stop the building from continuing forward. Zero scowled, letting out a roar of her own and doubling the Hyper Beam's size. The building was enveloped entirely within the powerful attack, eradicating it entirely. Sabrina launched herself backwards to avoid the laser that had now grown to a point she couldn't avoid while staying one place. What she failed to foresee, however, was that Zero would appear from the beam from above the insane Psychic and deliver a brutal axe Blaze Kick to the back of her head, sending her careening down to the earth below.

Right before Sabrina collided with the incoming cement, she used her Psychic powers to stop her descent. She whipped her gaze back around at Zero and hissed. Zero merely gave her a toothy scowl of her own. The young, silver-haired girl bolted down towards Sabrina, ready to deliver a Mega Punch to her abdomen, but that was a mistake. She no longer had the element of surprise on her side. Since Zero had no particular Psychic resistance, she had no way of guarding against Sabrina trapping her in a telekinetic hold and sending her flying into another building.

Sabrina grinned sadistically at seeing her foe disappear into the fog, but her victory was short-lived. A bolt of electricity nailed her in the back, causing her to cry out in pain. Her glare met that of Ash and Pikachu, who had hit her point-blank with a Thunderbolt as she was distracted.

"Nice job, Pikachu!" Ash commended, earning a happy "Chaa~" from his partner.

"Don't celebrate just yet," Riley warned, "Here she comes!"

Surely enough, that attack had merely ended up annoying Sabrina, and she was now racing towards them at maximum speed with wild eyes. Ash quickly turned to his Pokemon team.

"I won't have time to give you guys orders this time," He told them, "It's up to you to make your own strategies! Now, split up!"

His team of Pokemon saluted their master, then sprinted off in every direction to wait for an opening. Serena looked to her team and thought of doing the same, but unlike Ash, if she were caught completely alone, she would have no means of defending herself. So, she shrugged off the idea.

"I can't be following Ash's every move," She told herself, "This time, I'll have to rely on my own strategies!"

The three Aura users quickly summoned another barrier, stopping Sabrina in her tracks, if only for a moment. She quickly blasted the barrier of Aura apart by making a "splitting" motion with her arms. This, however, gave Ash and the others an opening. Lucario leapt forward onto Sabrina's back, flipping her forward and then using a pulse of Aura to shoot her backwards. Pikachu took the chance that now awaited him and leapt up, delivering an Iron Tail to her face. Sabrina hissed in pain, clutching the area she had been struck, then glared death at the yellow rodent. With the wave of her arm, Pikachu was sent flying away.

"Pikachu, no!" Cried Ash. He growled angrily, then took off to attack Sabrina himself. Flaring his Aura, he pulled back a punch. Sabrina stopped him in his tracks, holding him still with her psychokinesis. With a shrill cry, the maddened Gym Leader raised her arm and threw the boy into the ground. At the last second, Sceptile leapt in and caught Ash before the impact, and set his trainer down.

Ash looked himself over to see if there was any damage, but luckily found none. "Thanks, Sceptile," Ash said gratefully. His emerald-green friend smirked and gave his trainer a thumbs up before bolting at Sabrina, decking her in the face with a Leaf Blade.

Sabrina, infuriated, let out a shrill screech that nearly deafened her enemies. Before they could blink, the ground beneath their feet, not just below them, but the entire city's flooring was uprooted, making buildings, roads, everything you could imagine being in a city float through the sky.

Riley gaped, both awed and horrified by the scene playing before him. Ash stumbled, nearly falling over off of the piece of debris he was standing on if not for Noivern, who quickly caught Ash and righted him, earning a grateful thumbs up. Serena, meanwhile, was, along with the rest of her Pokemon, desperately hanging onto Pangoro, who was in turn doing the same to a large floating piece of concrete.

"What is she doing?!" Ash cried, "The entire city's floating!"

"I've...never seen anything like it…" Riley responded.

Sabrina gave them no time to get their bearings. With another ear-piercing screech, she lifted an even larger building than before above her head, readying it to be heaved at the band of trainers. All they could do was stare up at the infrastructure-made-projectile in horror, not having the slightest clue what to do in response.

A blur of black impacted Sabrina's side, appearing out of another building to her left. This blur was Zero, who was far from out of the count. Zero made a claw-shape with her hand, sparking it with Dark-Type energy. She made an attempt to stab Sabrina, but her arm was stopped by a dark blue light suddenly surrounding Zero. Sabrina grinned cruelly at her and sent her spiraling away with a blast of Psychic energy, then hurled the massive building her way.

Zero sailed helplessly through the air, crashing through piece after piece of debris, reminding her far too much of her brief midair battle with Ryder the previous night. She blasted flames from her feet and used that to flip around upward, righting herself at last. Though, she didn't expect yet another building to be flying her way. Thinking quickly, she placed her hands together, summon another Hyper Beam with both of her hands and swiftly bringing one up and the other down, splitting the building in two and sending the split building sailing past her on either side.

Sabrina hissed, shaking her fists in an uncontrollable fit of rage. Then an idea struck her, bringing a malicious grin to her face. The mad Psychic clasped her hands together, bringing the two pieces of building colliding together, crushing Zero in between.

"Zero, no!" Ash cried. Balling his hands into fists, he glowered at Sabrina, then motioned to his team of Pokemon to attack. For the first time he could remember, Ash himself was able to fight alongside his team of Pokemon. They raced forward, hopping between pieces of debris from roads, buildings and elsewhere, charging at Sabrina.

Sceptile, given that he was easily the fastest of them, charged first. He leapt up at Sabrina with the intent of hitting her with another Leaf Blade, but she stopped him in his tracks and flung him away. Little did she know that Pikachu was on Sceptile's back, and by throwing him, she had given the yellow rodent a chance to slam down on her head with another Iron Tail, stunning her momentarily. Noivern took this moment to fly down and allow Hawlucha to grab onto Noivern's talons. The bat-wyvern and his wrestler-inspired best friend smirked at each other, then Noivern flung Hawlucha at Sabrina, the former striking the latter with a devastating High Jump Kick. Goodra, from afar due to their sluggish nature, fired a Dragon Pulse at Sabrina that blew up in a cloud of smoke. Though, that was when their luck seemed to end.

The smoke faded, revealing Sabrina cloaked in a dark blue barrier and looking far from pleased. She screeched and, with the wave of her hand, sent Ash and his team flying, save for Sceptile who had already landed further away. The rest of Ash's team collided with a large chunk of bent road.

"Ash, are you alright?" Asked Riley, who ran to him with Lucario at his side.

Ash nodded, rubbing the back of his head and wincing. "I'm in one piece, at least." He turned to the rest of his team. "You all okay?" They nodded in affirmation to their master, giving him a look of resolution. "That's good...but wait, where's Sceptile?!"

Ash and his team looked around frantically, but couldn't find their last teammate. Ash cursed, balling his hands into fists. "Dang it, he must have gotten launched somewhere else!"

"We'll just have to trust that he's alright for now," Riley told him, "Right now, we need to focus on her!"

Surely enough, Sabrina came rushing at them with a painful screech, her blackened hair flailing wildly in the wind. Riley and Lucario summoned another barrier, which was, of course, destroyed instantaneously by the raging Psychic. The barrier did give Ash and his team a moment to attack at least, if only for a split second. Pikachu hopped up Ash's shoulder and pushed off, hitting Sabrina with another Thunderbolt. Unfortunately, this merely annoyed Sabrina more than anything, and she used her Psychic force to swat the yellow rodent out of the way.

"I don't think energy-based attacks will be very effective," Riley told Ash, "Psychic-Type Pokemon are very frail against physical damage, but can take energy-based damage head on without flinching!"

Ash grimaced, "So, only physical attacks will work? That might be troublesome."

That restriction wouldn't be any trouble for Hawlucha, but for the rest of his team, it would be one hell of a handicap. Sceptile would be restricted to only using Leaf Blade, an attack Sabrina had already experienced and could easily be guarded against. Infernape could only use Flame Wheel and Mach Punch, Goodra could exclusively use Bide, which was a very situational move, Noivern wouldn't have quote as much trouble, being able to use Tackle, Dragon Claw and Acrobatics, and Pikachu could only use Iron Tail and Volt Tackle, but the latter would inflict heavy recoil damage. But only using physical moves posed another issue entirely. It meant they would have to get close to Sabrina, and since she could simply halt your movement with a thought alone, that would be very difficult indeed.

Sabrina screeched and prepared to blow away Ash's group entirely, but was interrupted by a hulking figure rushing towards her. She focused instead on the figure approaching, but found that her powers had no effect. The figure rushed forward from the fog, revealing itself to be none other than Serena's Pangoro. Pangoro shoulder-barged into Sabrina, sending her spiraling away. From the fog behind Pangoro, Serena and her team pursued their largest member.

"Hey, Ash! Riley!" Serena called, waving to him.

A relieved smile took hold of Ash's expression. "Serena!"

Their reunion was short-lived. Sabrina quickly regained hold over her flight path and summoned a virtual cloud of stone, metal and glass to propel at her enemies now that they were united, save two. Ash, Riley and Lucario summoned a third barrier to protect their group, but this time, it wasn't faring as well as the first. The hail of debris struck their barrier like rainfall, only when a piece bounced off, Sabrina made sure to send the pieces back at the opposite side of the barrier, crushing the group inside a swirling wall of stone.

The barrier became smaller and smaller with every passing second, forcing the group to inch closer and closer to one another. The three Aura users grimaced. They were being strained to their limit, but if they gave in in the slightest, they would be crushed. Serena desperately tried to think of a way to escape, but could see none that didn't involve closing off the barrier, and by doing so they would likely be crushed anyways. Their bodies were now pressed together tightly, and they no longer had breathing room. Serena couldn't even reach her Pokeballs to return her team, and Ash was far too preoccupied to get his.

A green laser shot out at Sabrina, forcing her to use one hand to deflect it, thus releasing some strain on the Aura Users and allowing them to expand their barrier outward again. They inhaled deeply, then shot the barrier out with such force that the storm of rubble was obliterated and reduced to unusable dust. Sabrina hissed angrily and turned to the source of the laser. It was Sceptile, who had used Solar Beam. Though it did not damage Sabrina as he had hoped, it did, at least, allow the others to escape from her grasp.

The Aura users, however, were exhausted. Riley and Lucario were hardened enough so that they could remain on their feet, if not stumble a bit, but Ash collapsed onto his knees, frantically heaving for air. Seeing this, Serena took the initiative instead. "Pangoro!" She ordered, "Throw Hawlucha at her! Hawlucha, use X-Scissor!"

Though Hawlucha was not Serena's Pokemon, he knew better than to disobey at a time like this, and he was good enough friends with Serena anyways after their travels through Kalos. So, he allowed himself to be picked up by the colossal panda bear Pokemon and was hurled with incredible force at the Psychic. Hawlucha smirked at the approaching Gym Leader and focused two, light-green blades of energy from his hands and promptly struck Sabrina in a way that made an X-shaped slash. Sabrina was quick to defend, as a Bug-Type attack like that would surely do far more damage than she would accept.

Sabrina closed her hands together, summoning a dark blue barrier of her own that successfully stopped Hawlucha in his tracks. The attack clashed with the barrier, sending up sparks, but Hawlucha's momentum was quickly beginning to waver, threatening to make him fall. What's more, Sabrina was preparing an attack as well, abandoning the barrier to do so.

"Infernape, Mach Punch!" Serena ordered next.

The flaming monkey Pokemon gave Serena a thumbs up and, before Sabrina could blink, bolted from the ground and struck Sabrina dead in the face, sending her back a bit and stunning her momentarily.

"Noivern, catch them quickly!"

Ash's flying Dragon-Type Pokemon nodded to her and flew up to the other two of Ash's Pokemon, grabbing Infernape with his talons and allowing Hawlucha to ride on his back. Though their combined weight was straining on the wyvern, it was able to make it back to the platform the rest of Ash's group were on safe and sound.

Serena ran up to the three Pokemon, embracing them in a hug. "Nice work, you guys! That worked out perfectly!" The three of Ash's Pokemon simply laughed sheepishly.

"Alright, now one more thing…" Serena's eye glinted, an idea striking her, "Clefable and Sylveon, use Moonblast!"

Serena's two Fairy Type Pokemon nodded and opened their mouths wide, charging two balls of intense glowing light.

"Serena," Riley said, "That was great work you just did, but energy-based attacks have almost no effect on her!"

Serena nodded, "I see, but damage wasn't what I was going for." The glint returned to her eye and she grinned, "Moonblast has a chance to decrease Special Attack. If both of those hit, there's a good chance that I can weaken her!"

A grin encroached Riley's face as well at hearing that. He'd underestimated Serena. "I see. I hadn't even thought about something like that!"

Ash, though he was too tired to say it, was taken aback, in a good way, at Serena's strategic thinking. That time she spent with Lucario and the other Pokemon must have been good for her. He admired her.

Serena pointed her outstretched hand at Sabrina, who was still holding her head and recuperating from Infernape's Mach Punch. The consecutive blows to her head must be taking their toll. "Reaadddyyyyy...FIRE!"

Sylveon and Clefable fired their Moonblasts upon her command, sending the two identical balls of light energy sailing Sabrina's way. Sabrina, on the other hand, finally managed to shake off her dizziness just in time to see the oncoming attacks and deflect them away where they sailed harmlessly into the sky.

It had began to get dark. Coupled with the intense fog, the approaching night was threatening to leave everyone in complete darkness. Serena's eager, confident smirk faded at seeing her plan go right out the window, as did the confident looks of the others. Sabrina stared down at them. Her yellow eyes had begun glowing now that the light of day was slipping by, sending chills down the spines of everyone.

The insane woman snarled like an enraged animal at the group. She placed her hands together, and her Psychic energy began sparking menacingly, sending waves of dark electricity sparking around her. The group, unsure of what to do, simply stared at one another, hoping someone had an answer.

"What is she doing?!" Serena exclaimed.

"I believe she's channeling an immense amount of her power into one single blast," Riley answered, his face paling, "And I don't know if we have the means to stop it…"

Ash forced himself back onto his feet, forcing back a cough. "Well, standing around won't do anything…"

Serena turned to him, panic painted on her face, "Well, what do we do?!"

"The only thing we can," Ash answered, "We match her power."

"Can we even do that?!" Serena exclaimed, staring up at the sparking ball of psychic energy flaring from Sabrina's hands.

"We don't have a choice," Riley answered, stepping forward, "We either stop this attack or its' over. There's no way we can avoid something like that."

Ash turned to his Pokemon team, who, albeit looking terrified, gave their master and dear friend a nod, showing that they would follow his every order. "We'll have to abandon our no-energy attacks rule. Call me crazy, but I don't think punching that thing would work."

Riley nodded, "I agree. Just getting close to an attack like that might take us out for good."

"So, then, should we all attack it at once?" Asked Serena.

"Mhm," Ash said with a nod, "Let's show her that we won't go down so easily!"

Ash, Riley and Lucario began using the last of the Aura they could spare to summon an Aura Sphere. Sceptile charged a Solarbeam, Pikachu charged a Thunderbolt, Goodra charged a Dragon Pulse, Noivern charged a Boomburst. Infernape charged a Flamethrower, while Hawlucha, unable to use any energy-based attacks, simply repeatedly used Bulk Up, leapt over to another large piece of debris, picked it up and came back. Sylveon began charging another Moonblast, Clefairy used Metronome and managed to get Blizzard, Braixen, like Infernape, charged a Flamethrower and Pangoro followed Hawlucha's train of thought.

The night became pitch black, only illuminated by the sparking variety of attacks being summoned, ready to clash. With a fierce mixture between a screech and a roar, Sabrina let her attack loose. In response, Ash and the others released their attacks as well, combining them into one massive beam of light. The floating pieces of debris surrounding them were blown backwards from the sheer force of the colliding attacks, and the pitch-black night was illuminated once more by a blinding light. The clashing forces of energy seemed evenly-matched, neither one giving into the other. Crashes of plasmatic lightning erupted from the attacks, sweeping away anything they happened to crash into. A fierce wind threatened to blow Ash and the others away, but they held fast. Serena grasped Ash's shoulder, allowing him to take whatever Aura from her he needed to supply the attack. Both sides of the clash were fierce and strong, but one was far more exhausted than the other, and soon enough, Ash's group's attack began to waver.

The dark-blue sparking ball of Psychic energy from Sabrina pushed forward, forcing her enemies to slide backwards a bit, then fall to their knees. Pangoro and Hawlucha quickly ran to the Aura users and grabbed onto their shoulders as well to allow their Aura to be used. Still, it wasn't enough.

"We...can't stop it…!" Ash cried, his knees threatening to buckle any second now.

"We...have to!" Riley bellowed, though his strength and Lucario's were fading by the second too.

The Pokemon fell to their knees, but ultimately kept the attack going. While Hawlucha and Pangoro's vigor and strength allowed them to continuously allow their Aura to be sapped, Serena was getting dizzier and dizzier. She was approaching her limit quickly.

The beam of light as a whole wavered, growing weak and wobbly, as were its' creators. Ash fell onto one knee, keeping his part of the attack going with only one hand, as his other fell uselessly to his side. Sabrina cackled, seeing she was winning. Screeching even louder, so much so to the point that everyone nearly became deaf since they couldn't plug their ears for fear of giving in to the attack, the Psychic woman plunged every ounce of her power into the attack.

Ash's group had no chance now. They were weak and exhausted while Sabrina was full of energy. Serena fell onto her face, but desperately clung to Ash's leg to continue to give him everything she had left, even as her eyes dulled. Riley and Lucario fell to their knees, but still gave everything they could. The Pokemon fell completely, but still held their heads up to continue the attack as long as they could. Even Pangoro and Hawlucha fell forward, but held fast. Ash winced in agony. Just holding up his hand felt like he was trying to support hundreds of pounds of weight. He was shuddering and convulsing uncontrollably, yet he refused to give in even as he stared death plain in the face. It was far from the first time...but it was quickly seeming to be his last.

They closed their eyes as the last of their power began to approach. This was the end. Their time had run out. Serena wanted to whisper 'I love you, Ash,' one last time, but lacked the strength to do so. Then, they heard a footstep behind them. They couldn't turn around to see who it was. A small figure stepped to the front of the rapidly-dying attack and raised their hands up. It was Zero. She was covered head to toe in gray dust and rubble, but it was her.

Zero glared up past the colliding attacks at Sabrina. "You...you really are like me...how I used to be...that's why…" The small girl flared her energy, summoning every possible element known to man and Pokemon kind in a beautiful rainbow flare. "I can't let you continue! I won't let another me kill anyone else! Especially not my family!" With a mighty scream, Zero unleashed the full force of her power. Awed by Zero's show of force, the group managed to stand up once more, defiant in the face of death itself, and unleashed the last of their energy as well.

The beam of light swelled and pushed forward, wiping Sabrina's sadistic grin off her face. She tried to force more energy into her attack, but it did nothing. Slowly but surely, the white laser pushed her attack backwards. Her ecstasy turned to rage, then to fear. In in instant, her attack was swallowed by the white beam, as well as her. She let out one final scream before the laser overtook her.

The group collapsed once more, now that they had won. With no more energy to spare, they fell. So too, did the city fall. With Sabrina defeated, there was no one holding the city up anymore. Hails of rubble crashed into the ground like rainfall, kicking up a storm of dirt. Massive skyscrapers, including the towering Silph Co. HQ crashed into the ground as well, breaking apart. The platform Ash and the others were standing on fell as well, now that no one was holding it up. They had no means of stopping it, nor did they have the means to save themselves. Even Zero had used up the entirety of her vast stock of energy. She'd overdone it this time.

So, the group fell. Fatigue from the battle claimed their consciousness. They no longer cared about falling. They were far too exhausted to. So, Ash and his friends closed their eyes and, quite, literally, fell into a deep slumber. A mysterious, bright blue energy caught the group, setting them down gently. A mysterious figure levitated the group, placing another platform beneath them so they could safely float down unharmed. The figure thought to wake them, but ultimately decided against it.

"Nah," He said, "I'll let 'em rest. They deserve it after a show like that. Now, where's that dear old daughter of mine?"

* * *

 _ **Violet City, Johto, in broad daylight**_

A certain scientist carrying a briefcase was walking through the beautiful Violet City of the Johto Region. He wore a patch over his heart that looked like a blue explosion surrounded by stars. He was bald, save for two slivers of bluish-purple hair. This scientist was the madman, Dr. Charon, who had brought Zero into this world to be a puppet of war and an endbringer to all life. He had made his home in Violet City for some time, only having holographic messages used for his duties in Celadon City...but that time was over. Now, he had a new goal in mind.

Dr. Charon was on his way to the nearest radio tower. Though the massive one in Goldenrod would be swell to work with, infiltrating a place like that by himself would be next to impossible. So, he decided to take the easier route and use the radio tower of his new home city instead. Violet City was fairly small and very peaceful, so breaking into that radio tower should be simple. The reason he was doing so was personal. Now that his creation had been unleashed onto the world, he only had one goal: to expose the organization who had ordered her creation.

What Dr. Charon didn't know is that that particular organization hardly took traitors well, and they already knew of his plans. Ryder, clad in his black armor, now with the hole Zero put in it fixed, stood far away, underneath the shade of a large tree to obscure himself from sight. Ryder pulled out a communications device and called The Man.

"Sir," Said Ryder with a salute, "I have found the target."

" _I see_ ," Replied The Man, " _I_ _hope_ _this_ _one_ _goes better than the last. For your sake._ "

If Ryder's face was showing, he would have winced. Unflinching from his salute, he replied, "I am deeply sorry, master. The girl, Zero, was far more powerful than I could have anticipated. When she broke my mask, I thought the best approach would be to preserve my identity. Others arrived soon after, and I couldn't risk it."

" _Your identity?_ " Questioned The Man, " _My orders were clear , Ryder. Had you obtained the girl, your identity being revealed wouldn't have mattered. What's more, you simply could have killed the others, preserving your identity regardless._ "

"Sir," Said Ryder, "One of them was that boy you're after. The one that's been involved with every Legendary Pokemon as of late."

The Man seemed interested in this. " _He was, was he? That is awfully convenient. But still, you could have killed the others and simply taken them both. Why didn't you?_ "

Ryder flinched and bowed his head apologetically. "I'm deeply sorry, master!"

" _Sorry won't fix it. On another note, you brought that Weavile with you, correct?"_

Ryder looked down at his side. A small, black Pokemon with a red crown of hair and incredibly sharp claws was crossing its' arms and leaning on the tree.

"Indeed I did, sir."

" _I see."_ Said The Man, " _You've trained that thing yourself, so if you deem it to be reliable, then I'll accept it...but…"_

"But…? Sir?"

" _That Weavile of yours failed me as well. When that International Police Agent Looker was interfering in our affairs, your Weavile was sent to neutralize him. It failed, and my Tyranitar was forced to step in._ "

The Man narrowed his eyes, making Ryder's blood run cold, " _Since you yourself trained that Weavile, you could say you've failed me twice now. You know what happens at strike three_."

Ryder quickly bowed once more. "I apologize beyond how words can describe! I promise, I will not fail you again! Never again!"

" _You are my most prized asset_ ," The Man said to him, " _So I will choose to believe you. But if you fail me for a third time, you will have proven to me you are no longer useful, and...well, you can imagine what would happen_."

"I promise!" Cried Ryder, "I will complete this mission, and every other mission forever, without fail!"

The Man stared at him coldly. " _For your sake, I hope so_." Then, he cut connections.

Ryder trembled like he's never done before. The thought of no longer being useful to his master was too much to bear. Enraged, he turned his ire on Weavile. Before the Dark Type could blink, Ryder swept it up by its neck, pinned it against the tree and placed his sword at the base of its' throat, threatening to penetrate its' skin.

Terrified, the Weavile yelped and whimpered. Ryder cut it off by pressing the sword forward ever so slightly. Any more and the carotid artery would be severed.

"You-!" Raved Ryder, "You little shit! You useless! Piece of SHIT! You cost me master's trust!" Ryder inched his thumb towards a red button on the hilt of the blade, making the Weavile's eyes shoot open in absolute horror. "I should press it! I should end your worthless life right here and now…"

He slowly slid his trembling finger away from the button and relieved the pressure of his sword from the Weavile's throat. "But...you still have use." Ryder dropped the Weavile, who coughed and sputtered for air. Disgusted, Ryder kicked the Pokemon in the ribs, eliciting a pained, choked cry from the Weavile. "Get the hell up, damn you!"

The Weavile forced itself to its' feet, stifling a pained cough. Ryder inhaled deeply to regain his composure and once again became his calm, cold, composed normal self. Staring down at the Weavile, Ryder told it, "Your mission is to kill Dr. Charon. He cannot be allowed to remain active. His knowledge makes him too dangerous, and since he released Project Zero onto the world and destroyed the lab, we have deemed him a traitor, and traitor's must be dealt with."

The Weavile nodded, saluted and turned to leave, But was stopped by Ryder. "One last thing. If you can't get this done, don't bother coming back. If you do…" He put his blade on the Weavile's shoulder, inching towards the neck.

The Weavile quickly nodded, and Ryder retracted his blade, allowing it to run to complete its' mission.

The Weavile bolted from the hill down onto the top of a building. It looked around the crowd of people, then spotted his target. It leapt down into the crowd of people, causing a few yelps of surprise, then began shoving its' way through, hissing at everyone in its' way to get them to part.

The doctor, humming a song to himself as he neared the radio tower, raised an eyebrow as he heard a series of yelps and screams from behind him. He turned around to see what it was, then a wave of panic overcame him.

"No…" He rasped, "They can't have come for me this quickly!" He ran in the other direction, shoving people left and right to get them out of the way. By this point, the crowd had begun parting out of the way, seeing a connection between the Weavile and the panicking doctor.

"Get out of the way!" He bellowed, throwing a woman out of his way. He couldn't die yet! Not when he was so close!

"Hey, watch it!" Protested a random civilian.

"Wait, is that Weavile chasing the guy?" Asked another.

"What's going on?!"

The crowd parted completely, leaving the Weavile and Dr. Charon alone in the center of the road. The Weavile hissed and charged at the defenseless scientist. Or so he thought. As the Weavile neared, Charon threw down a dozen metal trinkets that sparked with electricity. Weavile skidded to a stop, But was unable to stop in time and became trapped by devices.

The Weavile scowled furiously. It was just like before with Looker. It became a failure that day. There's no way he'd fail! Especially not in the same way as before. With all of the Weavile's might, it pushed through the shock traps and escaped, continuing its' pursuit.

"Yes, I'm here!" Cheered Dr. Charon, "Now, time to-" His blood suddenly ran cold. He turned around and, glaring death at him, was Weavile. He tried to run for the door, but an Ice Beam froze the door and the path shut. Charon slipped on the ice.

"N-no, please!" Charon begged, "Please don't!" Charon tried to get back onto his feet, but slipped. He shuffled helplessly backwards as Weavile continued to approach. "HELP!" Dr. Charon cried, "SOMEONE HELP ME!"

It was then the civilians of Violet City realized the severity of the situation.

"Oh my Arceus!" One cried, "That Weavile's gonna kill him!"

"Let's get it!" One of them rallied.

The crowd, united, began charging to stop the Weavile. But it was too late. The moment they started running, Weavile pounced, and Charon screamed. Part of the crowd stopped in their tracks and screamed at the sight before them. The Weavile was literally mauling Dr. Charon, tearing his body to pieces while he was still alive.

The other half of the crowd that didn't stop at the brutal sight continued sprinting to Charon's aid. The first one to arrive took a branch in their hand and whacked the Weavile across the back of the head. "Get off him!"

Weavile whipped around, hissing at the man. The crowd member went for another swing, and the Weavile slashed his hand, making him cry out in pain and clutch at his hand in pain. The other crowd members arrived, surrounding the Weavile and reaching for various weapons: branches, stones and of course Pokeballs. The Weavile hissed at them, blood staining its' claws and fangs, and hopped away into the trees.

The crowd ran to Charon's aid, but by then it was too late. Charon lied as a blood-covered mess, unrecognizable from how he used to be. His face was torn to shreds, and his briefcase was gone.

Weavile appeared before Ryder, placing the briefcase down and bowing, holding the now-bloodied badge that had once been over the doctor's heart. Ryder stared down at him blankly.

"...Well done. You've bought yourself some time."

* * *

Author's Note.

Creator: Done with that. I told y'all I'd be back soon. I love how brutal this chapter was. Even Ash had brutality. It was pure action the whole way through. By the way, Sabrina's dad had no name, so I named him Adam after his voice actor.

Hydra- well I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter this was the longest single chapter we've released not counting chapter 10 that was split up because it was so long

Creator: With that, onto the reviews!

 **Amourshipper35-** "Thanks for the shoutout, guys! I felt so bad for Zero losing her first real Pokemon friend like that and I hope they stop this bad guy."

Creator- It's no problem, least we can do for your level of loyalty. As for Zero, her tale is a sad one indeed, and her suffering is far from over. The bad guy has a long road ahead of him as well. Ryder won't go down easy.

Hydra- it's our pleasure no worries. :)

 **Hall Gowrt-** "Keep going!"

Creator-Will do!

Hydra- of course!

 **ObiBooceKenobae-** "This is amazing, keep writing my boys!"

Creator-Only if you guys keep reviewing!

Hydra- we're on a roll baby boo yah!

Creator-Well, that'll be all, folks! Glad we could get this one out quicker...and a fair warning...I wouldn't expect any happy moments from now on...

Hydra- thanks for bearing with us guys like I said I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter we poured our hearts into this one so please let us know what you guys thought have a great night everyone and peace out.


	13. Chapter 13: Tragedy

Chapter 13: Tragedy

The sky was nearly pitch black. The heavens over New Bark Town had turned very cloudy, and the wind whistled ominously. The denizens of this town were puzzled. In a moment, their bright daytime had become darker than night.

Necrozma descended from the clouds, cloaked in the darkness save for the tyrant's arm crystals. He stared down at the cozy settlement, eyeing it like an excited child would with a toy. It was finally time. On this day, Necrozma would announce himself to the world. Necrozma couldn't help but to laugh at the prospect, his voice echoing through the night.

" _ **At last, the time has come,**_ " He announced, " _ **To hell with my partner's plan. If he thinks he can give ME orders, then I will happily oblige.**_ " The dark demon coughed into his hands to clear his voice, then spread his arms outward as if he were about to speak to an audience. The white crystals on his arms began glowing brightly, and a pulse of energy was released. This energy was not to destroy, per se, no. This pulse of energy circled the entire world within seconds, allowing Necrozma to speak to each and every one of its' denizens.

" _ **Inhabitants of this planet,**_ " He spoke, " _ **I am Necrozma. You can call me an alien of sorts. I have come to your planet for but one purpose: CONQUEST!**_ "

By now, the people of New Bark Town rushed out of their homes. They chattered amongst one another, checking to see if everyone else was hearing this voice.

Necrozma continued, " _ **My forces will arrive on this pathetic planet in but a mere five days. Should you wish to survive, you must amass the largest army you can muster and meet me in Goldenrod City. Should you happen to lose the battle, or fail to show up, then your lives and your world are forfeit. Nothing will remain of you or your world!**_ "

The denizens of New Bark Town frantically looked around for the source of the voice. One of them, a young girl, spotted Necrozma's glowing crystals and pointed him out. The others followed her gaze, pointing at him and chittering amongst themselves. Eventually, one of them had the idea to attack Necrozma, sending out his Jolteon do so so. A bright yellow bolt of electricity was fired from the Pokemon up at the dark demon, but to no avail. The citizens gaped as the Thunderbolt attack seemed to _bend around_ the odd dark creature they couldn't identify.

Necrozma raised his finger to the sky, summoning a small glint of light to its' tip. " _ **And so, just in case you decide not to take my words at face value...allow me to demonstrate my declaration of war!**_ "

Chuckling darkly, Necrozma lowered his finger and pointed down at New Bark Town, causing some of its' denizens to start backing away, unsure what to do. The sky itself seemed to become terrified of the dark demon as it had now begun to howl with wind, threatening to kick up a storm. Necrozma held out his arm, and promptly dropped the glowing light. The civilians of New Bark Town barely even saw what hit them.

In a single flash of light, a colossal explosion tore the town apart, sending up a column of violent white light. The area it hit was gone in a flash, completely obliterated alongside every living thing that had been unfortunate enough to be nearby. The areas not hit were blown back, uprooted and sent flying away amidst a virtual hellscape that formed in place of their town.

As the column of light died out, the majority of the town had been reduced to nothing more than a crater, covered in flames. If Necrozma had a face, he would have been smiling cruelly down upon them all. Laughing like a madman, Necrozma descended into the fray to have some fun. He was met with the sight of hundreds of corpses, people and Pokemon alike. Many were still burning, flailing wildly to try and free themselves from the flames but ultimately achieving nothing, falling to the ground like dominos to be consumed in the fire.

Necrozma took in the sight, staring at it like an ordinary person would stare at a flower garden. His morbid sightseeing was interrupted by the scream of a girl behind him who wore a golden necklace of a crescent moon. He turned around and, to his disappointment, she was still in one piece, not engulfed in flame, and completely unharmed. ' _ **Time to fix that,**_ ' He thought to himself as he turned to meet the girl.

" _ **Why hello there,**_ " Necrozma greeted, extending his hand to the girl, " _ **I believe you've heard my introduction just earlier, but I am Necrozma. I trust you are enjoying my handiwork?**_ "

Tears dotted the girl's face, evaporating in the heat of the harsh flames before they hit the ground. "Y-you…! My family-!" She dug her nails into the palms of her hands, trembling, then tore a Pokeball from her pocket and threw it. "I'LL NEVER FORGIVE YOU! Absol, use Night Slash!"

From the Pokeball came a black, canine Pokemon with white fur. It had a crescent-shaped blade protruding from the side of it's forehead. Responding to its' trainers' order, the Pokemon charged at Necrozma with its' blade shrouded in a dark aura...and promptly was wiped from existence in a flash of crimson light.

" _ **My, how rude,**_ " Necrozma chastised mockingly, " _ **Here I was taking the time out of my busy schedule to greet you formerly, and yet you attack me?**_ "

The girl's eyes widened in shock. She took a step back, accidentally dropping the now-empty Pokeball that had housed her Absol, then tripped over a piece of stone and fell onto her back. She let out a cry of pain and attempted to scramble to her feet, but Necrozma had run fresh out of mercy days ago. The dark demon appeared before her once more, making her fall back onto the ground.

Tears of fright welled up in her eyes as she shuffled backwards, but let out a pained cry as she accidentally placed her hand near the searing flames. She frantically looked around for an escape route, but everything had been sealed off by the fire, and she had nowhere to run. All she could do was stare back up at the monster who had destroyed her life in an instant.

"P-please," She whimpered, "P-please don't kill me!"

Necrozma knelt forward and raised her chin with his razor-sharp index finger. She was far too afraid to move away from him. " _ **Oh, don't worry my dear**_ ," He said to the girl, " _ **I have no intention of killing you**_."

The girl stared up at him. Her rage had completely given way to terror, and so even after the atrocity he had committed against her and the other civilians of New Bark Town, she smiled gratefully at him, relieved beyond words. "R-really?!"

" _ **Of course I wouldn't kill you**_ ," Necrozma promised, helping her to her feet with his cold, metal grasp.

"But...why-"

Necrozma pulled her in close suddenly, whispering into her ear. " _ **Because, my dear. It will be far more entertaining watching the flames do it for me**_."

The girl's blood ran cold and she tried to pull away from the dark beast and, of course, failed. She desperately pulled against Necrozma's grasp, crying and pleading for mercy. She received none. Necrozma cackled at her darkly and summoned an invisible force to push her backwards. She fell to her hands and knees, desperately screaming and trying to crawl forwards, but Necrozma's force kept dragging her backwards. She let out an ear-piercing scream as her feet made contact with the flames. The helpless young trainer grabbed desperately at the grass as if it could possibly save her from her fate. Her necklace fell from her head and onto the charred grass beneath.

One last cry was all she could muster before she was swallowed by the fire completely, screaming and tearing at herself in a desperate, mindless attempt to swat away the flames. Yet still, the flames consumed her. It tore away at her clothes, then her hair, and then her flesh. Necrozma gave her one last dark laugh before she collapsed to the ground, then turned to ash.

Necrozma wiped away a makeshift tear from his laughing fit. " _ **Ah, that never gets old.**_ " He then floated up back into the sky to oversee the town. People and Pokemon were scrambling around in a desperate attempt to escape, pleading for their lives. Necrozma chuckled at the sight and turned up to the sky. Now that his announcement was complete, he could return to Xurkitree and the rest of his fleet to await the next five days before their grand arrival.

" _ **Hmmm...then again…**_ " He turned back towards the burning town, a sadistic metaphorical grin sliding up his face, " _ **I suppose I could stay a while longer…**_ "

A dark cackle echoed throughout the night as Necrozma descended back into the town.

* * *

Ash awoke with a jolt. The last thing he remembered was he and the others falling from that platform after Sabrina had been defeated thanks to Zero's help. Speaking of the others, what happened to them? He looked around and found that he was inside a Pokemon center on one of the benches. People crowded around, happily chattering away.

Ash raised an eyebrow. Weren't they all dolls? Or maybe since Sabrina was defeated, they went back to normal? But then, why were they acting casual, like nothing happened? The entire city should be in ruins and yet...He got up from the bench and looked outside. Not a thing was out of place. Every building was back on its' hinges, standing proudly once more.

"What the?!" Ash exclaimed, "What happened?!" He ran outside the Pokemon Center, after taking his bag of course, and stared up in awe at the city. Every building seemed to shine silver or gold with the sun glinting off of them brightly. Was that all a dream? But...if it was a dream, then why were they still in Saffron City?!

"Take it easy there," A gruff voice spoke to him, "You look like you're gonna blow a gasket!"

To Ash's side was Adam, though he looked noticeably less...wrinkly...The once-old man waved at Ash. "So, looks like you're finally awake!"

"It's you!" Exclaimed Ash, "What happened?! The city's back to normal, and-wait, where is everyone?!"

Adam laughed at the young teen's antics. "Well, good to see you're lively. Anyways, I can imagine you're confused. Your friends are fine, by the way. They woke up a while back and decided to head out to take a look 'round the city since you were still conked out. Your Pokemon went back in their Pokeballs too, so the girl with you, the taller one, decided to let Nurse Joy take care of em for a little while."

Ash sighed in relief, "Well, that's good to hear...but…" A look of concern and fear took hold of Ash's face. "What happened to Sabrina?"

"Ayee…" Remarked Adam, rubbing the back of his neck, "Sabrina...well, she's still kicking if that's what you're asking. She ended up snapping out of whatever happened to her that made her like this after you guys knocked her out. Though, I had to convince her not to kill me on sight once she woke up." His gaze wandered towards the Gym, and a guilty frown appeared on his face, "I managed to get through to her, somehow, and when she realized what she had done...it wasn't pretty. Let's just say there was a lot of tears and stuff. She ended up fixing the city and turned everyone back to normal. Luckily, they didn't remember a thing, or else this would be a lot more complicated."

"I see," Ash said, "So that's why everyone's acting like nothing happened."

Adam nodded, "Yeah, it's probably for the best. I could imagine they wouldn't exactly be happy with Sabrina after all this if they knew what was going on...but...Sabrina and my wife still know, and they're not exactly happy with me. After she fixed everything, Sabrina stormed off back to her room in her Gym and closed the doors. My wife has been refusing to leave the front of her door, and neither of them will talk to me…"

"Sounds rough," Ash replied with a compassionate wince, "But wait. When we were all falling from that platform...I only caught a glimpse before I fell unconscious, but…"

"Yeah, it was me," Adam told him, "I overheard that little speech about forgiveness and chances or whatever before you guys fought Sabrina and...well, let's just say if it weren't for that, I might not have shown up."

Despite the coldness of Adam's words, Ash couldn't help but smile at him. "Still, Adam, I gotta say thanks. If it weren't for you, we might not have made it."

Adam merely shrugged, "Well, I suppose it's the least I could do for saving me and all that back in the alleyway. Anyways, I gotta get back to Sabrina and my wife."

"Oh, you're actually going back?" Ash exclaimed, genuinely surprised.

Adam huffed. "Oh, hardy-har-har. Yeah, I'm headin' back. This whole fiasco was my fault to begin with because I was a negligent, worthless piece of shit for a father." He shook his head, staring towards Sabrina's Gym with a look of resolution he hadn't had in years. "I'm not gonna make that mistake again. Even if those two hate me...still, I...I gotta…"

Ash placed a hand on his shoulder and gave the older man a smile. "No, it's great that you want to fix things! I'm sure they'll open up to you again in time."

Adam heaved out a long-winded sigh. "I hope so, kid. I hope so." With that, he began to make his way towards the Gym, ready to start the long process of undoing the mess he created over the past few years.

Ash watched him go until Adam disappeared into the crowd. "...Well," He said to himself, "Should I go try to find the others?" He pondered the option for a few moments, then shook his head. "Nah, I'd probably end up just getting lost if I went off on my own. I should head back to the Pokemon Center for now."

Making up his mind, Ash began to make his way back to the Pokemon Center. What exactly he'd do there besides get his Pokemon back, he was unsure. Maybe he'd challenge a few random trainers...then again, his Pokemon were probably too tired from the previous night, if the aching he himself felt from his muscles was any indication.

Ash walked through the doors and approached the Nurse Joy attending the desk. "Excuse me," He said to her, "My name is Ash Ketchum. A girl named Serena deposited my Pokemon here, right?"

The Nurse Joy nodded, "Yes, I recall a girl named Serena dropping off some Pokemon here. Which ones were yours again?"

"Pikachu, Sceptile, Infernape, Hawlucha, Goodra and Noivern," Ash responded, counting the Pokemon off with his fingers.

The Nurse Joy nodded once more, "Yes, they're all back in their Pokeballs after having rested, save the Pikachu who refused to return."

"Yeah, Pikachu doesn't really like his Pokeball, so I just have him up on my shoulder all the time," Ash told her, "Anyways, they're all doing fine, right?"

"For the most part," Answered Nurse Joy, "They had relatively minor wounds, but they were all exhausted beyond belief! Come to think of it, your whole group looked as if they hadn't gotten any sleep in days! What exactly happened to you?"

Ash could only laugh at the irony of that question, considering she was, in a way, a part of what they had all gone through the previous night. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you…"

After having gotten his Pokemon back, Ash went back to the bench he woke up on and sat down. He was unsure of what to do next. Even as his muscles ached, he was itching for another Pokemon battle to stave off his boredom, yet looking at Pikachu who could barely stay awake upon his shoulder, told him that battling was out of the question for now.

So, he sighed and sat back into the bench to relax. Or so he'd hoped. Relaxation was something that often evaded an energetic boy such as Ash. Every fiber of his being itched and ached at him to move. It was as if his very body hated the idea of being idle, for even a second. But what to do? His eyes wandered around the Pokemon Center, desperately trying to find _something_ to do. His eyes landed upon a few young trainers at a row of computer terminals, chatting away with various faces on the screens.

It _had_ been quite some time since he had called back to Professor Oak, after all. Catching up with Tracy couldn't hurt either. Then there was, of course...he gulped, realizing he was in for quite a scolding...his mother. He gently lifted Pikachu from his shoulder and placed his partner down onto the bench to rest, then made his way to one of the open computer terminals. The trainer pressed a large red button and, surely enough, Professor Oak appeared on the screen after a few moments.

"Ash, my boy!" Exclaimed the grey-haired professor, "It's been a while! So, what's the occasion?"

"Nothing much," Ash replied, "Just checking in. I'm in Saffron City at the moment."

Oak's eyes widened, "Wait, really? Hadn't you heard about the news about that place recently?! Everyone ended up disappearing."

Ash grinned at him and stepped away from the terminal, allowing Professor Oak to see the large crowd of people within the Center. "Well, as you can see," Ash said with a prideful grin, "That doesn't seem to be the case anymore!"

Oak looked completely flabbergasted. "Wha-?! But I...just yesterday, the news said...wait," The professor's expression shifted to a knowing smile, now having an inkling as to what might of occured, "You didn't have anything to do with this, by chance, did you?"

Ash chuckled, "Well what can I say? Things just happen to work out when I'm around, y'know?"

"That right?" A voice spoke behind him. Riley and Lucario had just entered the Pokemon Center, and the former was smirking at Ash's self-compliments.

"Oh, h-hey Riley," Stammered Ash, rubbing the back of his head.

Riley chuckled dryly at him. "Yeah, hey to you too, big-shot. But yeah, Professor, Ash here did play a part in fixing this whole mess regarding Saffron City."

Professor Oak raised an eyebrow at the newcomer. "Oh? Who might you be? I don't believe we've had the pleasure of becoming acquaintances."

"Of course," Riley responded, taking off his hat to briefly bow, "My name is Sir Riley of the Aura Guardians, though you may call me Riley."

"The Aura Guardians?" Professor Oak exclaimed curiously, leaning forward into the screen to get a clearer look of him, "I had read up on those a few times before, but the documentations were so scarce that I believed they were nothing more than a myth!"

Riley held up his hand, summoning a miniature Aura Sphere to demonstrate. "I can assure you, professor, we're quite real, though I do admit we're coming in...short stock these days."

"Fascinating," Oak remarked, "But it is unfortunate that your numbers are dwindling."

"I agree," Replied Riley, "But unfortunately, there is little I can do about that besides spread the knowledge of our talents to another."

Oak's eyes glistened at that. The scientific breakthroughs that could be made with Aura were innumerable. "It can be taught?! To think that such a thing could-"

Riley laughed and waved him off. "Sorry, professor, but it can't be taught to just anyone. You have to have a…" He took a moment to ponder the correct choice of words, "Certain aptitude, so to speak. An inborn talent to be able to use it."

Oak sat back in his chair, a little disappointed. "I see," He said, "Well, that is a shame. So, Sir Riley, is there anyone you're currently training?"

Riley chuckled and placed a hand on Ash's shoulder, "Take a wild guess."

Ash grinned and flared his Aura, just a tad so that it was visible but wouldn't attract any unwanted attention from the surrounding trainers.

Oak marveled at the sight, his mouth agape. "A-Ash?! I had no idea that he would…" He stopped in his tracks, and then a grin took the place of his surprised expression, "Scratch that. I suppose if anyone could have the potential for something like that, it would be you, Ash."

Ash smiled at the professor's kind words. "Thanks, professor! That means a lot coming from you. By the way, I also wanted to talk to mom and Tracy. Are they around?"

"Your mother, huh?" Mused Riley, "Well, I suppose getting to meet her couldn't hurt."

"Well, you just missed Tracy actually," The professor replied, "He left to go on a trip to Unova to document a tribe of people called the Dragon Tribe. Hey, come to think of it, didn't you meet one of them during your trip through Unova?"

Ash's eyes flickered, remembering whom the Professor was talking about. Their relationship was an odd one. She was loyal enough as a friend, but her nagging was on the level of Misty if not surpassing it, which ended up with them butting heads often. "Oh yeah, Iris! I ended up journeying with her through Unova along with one of the Gym Leaders named Cilan."

Professor Oak nodded, "I see. Well, I'll have Tracy look out for her if he can. Anyways, about your mother. She's off in Viridian City at the moment doing some shopping. It'll probably be a few hours before she returns."

"Well, that's a shame," Ash said genuinely, "It's been a while since I got to see her."

Oak nodded, "Yes, it is unfortunate. You could wait around for her, but knowing you, that won't exactly be happening, right?"

Ash chuckled and nodded, "You know me well, professor. Yeah, we probably won't be sticking around much longer. Then again, I think our next course of action would be to go down to Koga's Gym down in Fuchsia city, which is pretty far away."

"Actually, it's Janine's Gym now," Oak informed him, "Koga ended up becoming a member of the Indigo League's Elite Four a while back."

Their conversation went on like this, chattering away with one another until Ash's timer on the terminal began running short. So, he asked the Professor one final question before his time as up.

"Say, professor, how's Talonflame coming along?"

Oak's brow furrowed in thought. "Talonflame? So far Professor Kukui hasn't been able to extract that power from it again. Not even in the slightest. It's rather vexing indeed."

"Hmm," Mused Ash, "Well, if that guy hasn't had any luck with Talonflame, maybe I will. There's no real point in keeping them there if Talonflame isn't learning anything."

"Well, I wouldn't say Talonflame learned _nothing_ ," Replied Oak, "Professor Kukui is the world's leading expert on Pokemon attacks, after all. I'm sure that even though Talonflame hasn't been able to use Firestorm again, it was able to at least get some decent training in."

"Firestorm?" Asked Ash.

"Oh, that's simply what Professor Kukui named the attack. Anyways, you said you wanted Talonflame back, right? I've already notified Kukui via text messaging, but you're carrying a full party, so you'll need to swap someone out."

"Actually," Started Ash, "I was going to wait on that a bit. Just have that Kukui guy send Talonflame over to your place for now."

"Will do, Ash," Replied Professor Oak, "But our time is running short. Be sure to-"

The screen became like static, letting out a crackled, garbled electric noise before the monitor shut off entirely. "What the?!" Ash exclaimed, "Hey, my time wasn't up yet!" Riley put a hand on his shoulder and directed his vision towards the other monitors, which had shut down as well. "It's not just you, Ash. There must be a power-outage or something." Surely enough, the lights inside the Pokemon Center had shut off as well. The Nurse Joy at the counter ran into a door behind her, likely to turn on the emergency power for the more-injured Pokemon that might be in the back.

The confused cries of the masses rose up from the crowd inside the Pokemon Center. Then, a similar noise from the outside overshadowed it. Ash, having picked up his exhausted Pikachu and placing him back on his shoulder, ran outside with Riley to find that power to the entire city was cut off, and mobs of confused people were racing around trying to get to the bottom of it.

"Geez," Ash remarked, yelling over the sound of the crowd, "This must be some power outage! The entire city's gone down! Maybe Sabrina misplaced a few cables when fixing up the place?"

Riley shook his head, and his face went pale. "I don't think that's what this is. I feel something terrible! Even more so than Sabrina!" Lucario scowled in a cold sweat, feeling the same sensation his partner did.

Come to think about it, Ash noticed that he felt queasy as well. Then that queasiness became full-blown nausea, and he had to force himself to sit down to avoid collapsing from the dizziness. What's more, his eyes had began to glow cyan once more. Then, a shrill, high-pitched noise erupted over the entire city, forcing everyone to cover their ears in an attempt to block it out. Yet...they couldn't. No matter what they did, the noise stayed, tearing at their ears. It was as if the noise was coming from inside their own heads. Then, all became silent. In place of the noise, a wave of dread swarmed over the city, making everyone become sickeningly pale with a fear they couldn't comprehend why they were feeling. A voice, one that sounded dark and metallic, boomed from within the minds of the city's inhabitants.

" _ **Inhabitants of this planet, I am Necrozma. You could call me an alien of sorts. I have come to your planet for but one purpose: CONQUEST! My forces will arrive on this pathetic planet in but a mere five days. Should you wish to survive, you must amass the largest army you can muster and meet me in Goldenrod City. Should you happen to lose the battle, or fail to show up, then your lives and your world are forfeit. Nothing will remain of you or your world. And so, just in case you decide not to take my words at face value...allow me to demonstrate my declaration of war!**_ "

The dark, metallic voice began laughing like a madman, followed by the ear-piercingly loud sound of an explosion followed by hundreds if not thousands of voices screaming...then silence as the message was cut off, leaving everyone in a dumbfounded stupor. Thousands of questions collectively ran through the minds of all who'd heard the message, but no one could dare move or speak to ask them, let alone answer them. For no one could possibly have any answers to whatever supernatural occurrence that had just taken place.

Finally, a bewildered Ash whose eyes were as wide as dinner plates dared to step back to his feet and ask: "What...was that…?" And then all hell broke loose. The people of Saffron City and, not to Ash's knowledge, the entire world began panicking, running around frantically like chickens with their heads cut off. To where they were running, they didn't know. They simply had to run. Ash, Riley and Lucario quickly stuck together as to not be swept away and separated from one another, all while Pikachu desperately clung onto Ash's shoulder for the same reason.

"What the hell was that?!" Ash exclaimed, shielding himself from the rushing crowd.

Riley was in the same predicament. "I have no idea! But whatever that was, it can't have been good!"

"Obviously!" Ash retorted, "But what are we going to do?!"

Riley grunted as a particularly large man collided with him, but managed to hold his ground. "I have no idea! We have to actually figure out what it is first and then meet up with…"

Their blood ran cold as they remembered their other friends who were out shopping elsewhere, probably halfway across the city by now. "Oh crap, Serena and Zero!"

If Riley, Ash and Lucario were having trouble staying together and in one piece in a crowd like this, then they could only imagine what Serena and Zero were going through. They imagined the two girls being swept away by a crowd of people in one of the malls, only there would be less space in there. Not to mention the people clamoring to get to the elevators and stairways if they were on one of the upper floors.

The panicking crowd stopped suddenly as a series of electrical sparks began sounding off throughout the city, followed by technological hums. The city's electricity had turned back on, and news screens began taking up every last television screen, computer screen and phone screen imaginable. A newswoman quickly ran into the seat at the face of the camera and cleared her throat.

"Ladies and gentlemen," She announced with an urgent hastiness in her voice, "We seem to have undergone some sort of paranormal event that has swept not only across entire regions, but across the entire world as we know it!" Behind the newswoman, images of terrified crowds of people rushing through different cities appeared on a screen. Ash recognized Lumiose City and, of course, Goldenrod City among them. "A message from an unknown entity calling itself Necrozma has spread throughout the minds of seemingly every single person in the world! As we speak, hundreds of thousands of people are reporting the incident every minute, and millions are panicking, searching for answers! The city hit by this phenomenon worst of all is, of course, Goldenrod City, which was explicitly mentioned by this 'Necrozma'! As of now we are unsure as to what exactly-"

The woman was cut off by a man running onto the news set and whispering something to her.

"What? Are you serious?!"

The woman cleared her throat as the man left the set, but she looked even more pale and terrified than before. "Ladies and gentlemen, we've just received word that New Bark Town of Johto is under attack as we speak!" The image behind her cracked with static, then changed to an image of a burning city. Horrific imagery of people flailing from within the flames and others desperately running to try and escape, only to be cornered by more fire that closed in on them faster and faster with each passing second appeared. Ash had to force himself not to vomit on the spot, but lost the will to look. Riley, meanwhile, was seething with rage seeing the countless lives being lost by the second.

"We are unsure if these two phenomenon are connected, but as it stands, it is the most likely explanation for the attack, nor can we confirm or deny that this Necrozma being is responsible for the calamity at the Orange Islands that took the lives of thousands of people, or the mysterious disappearance of Johto's Mt. Quena. We do, however, have multiple reports of Legendary Pokemon appearing at all of these sights except New Bark Town, such as Lugia and the Three Elemental Birds at Orange Islands and Rayquaza and Arceus himself at Mt. Quena. Arceus also made an appearance at the aftermath of the Orange Islands and briefly undid the damage, but, according to eyewitness reports, allowed the damage to return after being unable to revive those lost to that tragedy and disappeared. Authorities are currently being sent to combat whatever has attacked New Bark Town, be it this Necrozma being or otherwise, and it is advised to stay away from New Bark Town at all costs. As far as we know, no more attacks of this degree have occured and it is safe to return to your everyday lives. I repeat, it is safe to resume your everyday lives."

She fumbled with her papers a bit, then, in a less-alarmed tone, began the rest of her news. "On another note, the mysterious disappearance of Saffron City's citizens has been, remarkably, undone. What exactly happened is unknown, but a large cloud of fog surrounded the city just yesterday and when it dispersed…"

Riley cut off the newswoman suddenly, "Ash, I think she's about to cover what we did," He whispered, "Let's get out of here, quickly."

Ash stared up at him questioningly, "What for?"

"The people here don't _know_ what happened. When they do, they'll just start panicking again, so we should find Zero and Serena as quickly as possible, then get out of here!"

Ash nodded, "Yeah, that makes sense. We'd just end up getting swamped again if we stick around, but…"

"But?!" Riley exclaimed, "Ash, we gotta go!"

"What about Sabrina?" Asked Ash, "What if they find out about her and what she did, then attack her?"

Riley hummed, seeing Ash's point. If this news lady mentioned something about Sabrina being involved, if she even knows anything about it, then Sabrina and her family would likely be driven out of the city. Nevertheless, he shook his head. "This may sound cruel to you, Ash, but we can't stick around to help her. The people of New Bark Town need our help more right now. We need to leave before there's no longer anything left to save."

Ash grimaced, but ultimately saw Riley's point. "Yeah, you're right. But...how are we going to find Serena and Zero? They could be anywhere, and this city's huge!"

"Well, that's simple," Riley said, allowing a smirk to appear even at a grim time like this, "It's time for your next Aura lesson: sensing people."

"Sensing people?" Asked Ash, "Like detecting where people are?"

"There's more to it than that," Riley told him, "You've already learned how to sense the presence of others on your own, but you've yet to learn how to differentiate between different people."

He pointed out two random people standing amongst the crowd. "Go on, sense those two."

Ash nodded and lit his Aura, though only in his eyes as to not draw attention. His vision went blue and the sight of the two bystanders was swapped with two signatures of Aura, characterized by human-shaped cyan flames. He was able to concentrate solely on them and blot out the countless other aura signatures surrounding them, but still could not find any difference between the two of them, no matter how much he tried.

"You see them, right?" Riley asked, to which Ash nodded, "Good, then allow me to reveal how to differentiate the two of them. The hint is that it doesn't rely on sight, sound or any other sense. Though 'feel' might be a good place to start, this type of sensing is a different sense altogether. A sixth sense, if you will. For instance, Zero's Aura would be easy to feel, as it feels prickly and painful, and of course, it's crimson."

Riley motioned around the three of them to the surrounding crowd. "Since Zero's Aura should be easy enough to sense, and you're quite familiar with being in contact with it, you should be able to sense her easily."

Ash nodded, though he still looked unsure of his abilities. "Alright, I'll try." Staring around himself, Ash activated his 'Aura-vision' once more. The crowd of people was replaced with a crowd of human-shaped Auric flames, and so, he began walking with Riley and Lucario behind him. He wasn't sure where, he was simply hoping that he would see or feel Zero's Aura and go from there. Though as he walked, he made sure to try and 'feel' every Aura signature that came close to him and tried differentiating them from each other. It was far more difficult to him than he thought it would be. On top of them all looking the same barring size, hardly a thing about them 'felt' any different from the other. Then again, he wasn't exactly given clues on what to look or feel for either.

So, Ash partially gave up on feeling around for different Auric signatures and simply looked around for any sign of red. As they made their way past the Gym, Ash couldn't help but curiously peer inside to see what Sabrina's felt like. It, unlike the sea of blue Aura they were passing through, was yellow.

"Hey, Riley," Ash said, "Sabrina's Aura is yellow. What does that mean?"

Riley stared pitifully at the Gym, "It means that she's...under a lot of stress to put it lightly. When people are under stress or feeling negatively, their Aura will begin to become negative as well. It ranges from a deep blue for the average positive person then becomes a lighter shade of blue as it becomes negative. It becomes lighter until it shifts from blue altogether, then becomes a very light shade of green, then yellow until it finally lands on a deep crimson red, which is the peak negativity anyone can stand. You're already familiar with that particular type of Aura. Any more than that, and you'd probably die."

Ash cringed. He'd already seen and felt a portion of Zero's memories firsthand, but now he had even more pity for her. To think, she was at the peak of pain and hate...he'd have to make sure to fix that someday. A thought struck him out of that particular train of thought. Riley said as people begin to become more negatively-attuned, their Aura would shift from a deep blue to a lighter-shade of blue over time. Riley's Aura was cyan.

"Hey, Riley," Said Ash, though Riley's attention was fixated on something else, "You said Aura becomes lighter at first when you're more negatively-attuned. But...your Aura-"

"Hey, Serena!" Riley called out suddenly, interrupting Ash, "Over here!" Apparently this Aura lesson was over.

Surely enough, amongst the crowd ahead of them was Serena who was holding fast onto Zero's hand to make sure she didn't end up lost. Her gaze snapped to her name being called, and she smiled at seeing Riley and Ash. "Heeeey!" She called out, waving her free hand. Quickly, she pushed through the crowd with Zero at her side, looking very nonplussed at being dragged around, and made her way over to her friends.

Ash quickly abandoned his questioning of Riley's Aura to make sure Serena and Zero were okay. "Hey!" He called back to her, "You guys alright?!"

Serena and Zero approached their friends, having freed themselves of the crowd. "For the most part, yeah," Answered Serena, "But I swear, that Necrozma guy nearly gave me a heart attack! And New Bark Town…" She winced, frowning deeply at the sight of the people, quite literally, being burned into her memory.

Zero had a look on her face that seemed like she couldn't decide if she was enraged or saddened, ending up in a creased pout. "Necrozma…" She hissed, "We must stop it…"

Riley nodded, "Of course. I was thinking the same thing, Zero." His gaze turned to Ash and Serena. "I suppose you two share the same sentiment?"

"Of course!" Replied Ash, "No way am I just going to sit around while people are being killed like that!"

Serena, meanwhile, looked unsure. "I want to help too, but...those people…" The memory of seeing them literally being consumed by the flames haunted her memory. There's no way something like that should be shown on television, especially to the entire world. Seeing that in person...would be something she would never be able to forget. Then again, if she cowered out, they would continue to die… She shook her head, clearing her head of such thoughts. "Nevermind...of course I'm in!"

Riley grinned at her, "Then it's settled. Off to New Bark Town!"

"How are we going to get there?" Ash asked the obvious question, "There's no way any planes are going there right now, if any are going anywhere at all after that power-outage." Not to mention, their Flying Types were in relatively short stock, especially since Hawlucha couldn't even fly, and Noivern alone obviously couldn't carry all three of them, let alone all the way to Johto.

Serena pointed backwards, towards the direction Zero and her had just met back up with Ash and Riley. "Back there, there was a monorail. One of them might get us to Johto, and we can find a way to work from there."

"Then that's where we're going," Riley announced, "Let's go!"

* * *

 _ **Hall of Origins**_

The Legendary Pokemon hastily rushed through their portals and into the Hall where they met under Arceus' orders typically. Though this time, Arceus gave no such order. He hadn't the time to do so. This time, the Legends entered the Hall of Origins of their own volition with terror in their eyes. Even the Lord of the Distortion World, Giratina himself, looked uneasy. Each and every one of them had heard Necrozma's message, and so now, they turned to their God-father for aid.

"I see," Arceus spoke, "So Necrozma finally makes his move…"

Xerneas approached Arceus and knelt down into a bow. "Milord, Lugia and the Three Elemental Birds have awoken."

Arceus nodded. "And not a moment too soon, it seems. Bring them in."

Wordlessly, Xerneas nodded and walked down to the end of the hall where there was a colossal white door. As the Pokemon of Life approached the door, she stopped suddenly, stamped down, and allowed her energy to flow into it. Streams of rainbow-colored life energy pulsed from Xerneas and into four inlets of the door. In response, the door creaked loudly, opening outward. Immediately, Lugia and the three birds took to their rightful places amongst the Hall. Though, they obviously weren't the same. The Trio of Birds were always particularly wild, but now it had been taken to an entire new level. Hatred practically emanated from their piercing glare, but what disturbed the members of the Hall most was Lugia.

The Guardian of the Sea was rasping out heated breaths, like a starving animal. His pupils were shrunken down to personify his rage, shocking even the most stoic of the Legends except for Arceus, who merely gave them a saddened stare. He had expected them to be like this upon awakening, especially after he forcefully put Lugia into a comatose state to prevent his raging from interfering with his healing process. Though now, save for the appendage Necrozma had torn from him, he was completely healed and ready for vengeance.

Lugia stared into Arceus' crimson eyes, unwavering. Arceus met his stare, unflinching as well. It was as if they were in some kind of morbid staring contest, like Lugia was sizing up his lord-father and judging if he was still worth following. Finally, he broke his gaze away and bowed, rasping, "Lord Arceus."

"It is good to see that you have mostly healed," Arceus said.

"Mostly?" Lugia questioned, "My wounds, save the obvious one, have healed thanks to Xerneas. I am in perfect condition! The greatest physical state of my life! I am in the perfect state...to tear that Necrozma limb from limb."

Arceus let out a long-winded sigh, closing his eyes briefly. "Lugia...while your wounds have healed, you are obviously far from fine. I, along with everyone else here, can tell you only have revenge for your injuries, your home and your pride on your mind. That is very much unlike you."

Lugia scowled at him, "Am I supposed to have tranquil thoughts of flower gardens, milord?"

Giratina stifled a laugh.

"I am not saying your thoughts are unwarranted," Arceus told his, one-of-many, sons, "I, too, yearn for Necrozma's end. His thoughtless massacre has gone on for far too long!" The Alpha Pokemon stared down at Deoxys and the Legends of the Sun and Moon. "...Far, far too long. Long before ever coming here, that demon has slaughtered entire civilizations by the billions. I cannot forgive that…" His gaze turned upward, and he raised his head high like that of a god should do. His crimson eyes glowed, and he allowed his overwhelming divine power to seep from his body, nearly shaking the entire hall. "And I cannot forgive him for what he has done to our home!"

His gaze turned to Deoxys first, "You, who have had to watch your civilization burn and flee to ours."

Then, he turned to Lugia and Mewtwo, who had been let in, seeing as this was now his problem too. "And you, who have had your homes completely destroyed...and of course…"

Arceus's gaze softened slightly, turning down to the young Keldeo with a sad stare. "...You, who have had your family taken from you…" The Lord of the Pokemon next turned back to Solgaleo and Lunala, but neglected to mention the theory of Necrozma's Origin for fear of setting off Lugia and the Birds. The last thing he needed was for the Hall to collapse in on itself.

Lugia's mouth opened in shock at hearing that, and his hate-filled gaze subsided, if only a little. He gazed down at the only remaining member for the Swords of Justice, but the young Keldeo merely stared down at the whitened floor.

Arceus gazed upwards again and summoned a translucent screen. What was on that screen was sickening to even the most hardened, cold of the Legends. It was a burning town, where people and Pokemon alike were meeting their end amongst the flames by the second. "This," The Alpha Pokemon boomed, "Is Necrozma's latest attack. Now, he's extended his wrath to the humans and ordinary Pokemon as well."

Keldeo let out a shocked gasp, "What?! Then, let's go stop him! We're all here, so we have the greatest chance of beating him now!"

Arceus shook his head, "It is unknown as to whether Necrozma is still even there. He has no life force and is practically invisible in the dark, so it is impossible to say if the demon has already left or not. Not to mention, we're still down a member." He turned to Kyogre and Groudon, who shrunk underneath the pressure of Arceus' stern gaze. "I trust that you never found Yveltal, right?" The Pokemon of Land and Sea merely shook their heads.

"I'm sorry," Groudon said, "We went to where Yveltal had landed, but he was nowhere to be found! He disappeared!"

Kyogre nodded shakily, feeling the rage Arceus was trying, and failing, to suppress. "W-we think that Yveltal might have been completely destroyed by that attack!"

"Impossible," Arceus snapped, "Yveltal cannot die so easily. If he had truly died, he would have simply absorbed the life force of his surroundings and came back to life." His red-hot glare of pure, divine rage pierced the two Legends to their cores. " _ **No...what really happened was that you two had refused to co-operate with one another and abandoned the mission I had entrusted you with, am I correct?**_ "

A fear that the typically-proud masters of the land and sea had rarely felt paralyzed them. The fury of Arceus was something to never be taken lightly. Even still, they managed to stammer out an excuse.

"N-no, Lord Arceus!" Groudon retorted in a whimpering tone that sounded like he was begging for his very life. "Kyogre and I may be enemies, but we would never disobey your orders! We would follow your orders to the end, sir!"

Arceus kept up his death stare for a few moments, but ultimately decided it wasn't worth it and allowed his crimson gaze to falter. "Fine, then. We'll sort this out in the time given to us."

Groudon grimaced. ' _He doesn't believe us…'_

Keldeo growled furiously, "We still have to try! Even if we can't stop Necrozma right now, there are people and Pokemon dying! They need our help!"

"Indeed they do," Replied Arceus, "But right now, we cannot help them. Yveltal is one of our most powerful assets, as he would be able to drain Necrozma's forces of their life force to fuel our own. Without him, battling Necrozma would be far more difficult than necessary."

"Necrozma doesn't even have his forces yet!" Keldeo shot back, "And what's with you?! Why are you fighting me on this?! Those people are dying and you won't do anything?! Even if Necrozma's still there, we could chase him off!"

"And get the remaining humans killed for certain," Arceus retorted, "With every Legend fighting Necrozma, the area would become nothing more than a crater by the end of it. If we leave them, there's a chance at least some will escape. If we don't, they'll all be dragged into the fight and die anyways."

Keldeo's scowl contorted the equine Legend's face. "And what if he's not there?! We'd be leaving them to die!"

Arceus' patience was beginning to wear thin. With his eyes narrowed at Keldeo strictly, he replied, "If Necrozma is no longer there, then they'll find a way out with little issue."

"Which is all the more reason to go, so there will be less casualties!"

"And if he _is_ still there, how many casualties will the Legends suffer if we go there while we are still unprepared? Some of us carry the very balance of our world in their hands. Should they die, how many more people and Pokemon will follow?"

"What are you saying?!"

Arceus' impatient stare intensified, silencing Keldeo. "What I am saying is that not even I had the power to fell Necrozma in our previous duel. As we are now, we are un-coordinated and ill-prepared to take him on...what I'm saying is, as we are now, we will lose…"

Those words shook the Legends to their core. Even the stoic or hardened Legends like Lugia, Giratina and Rayquaza's jaws nearly dropped Panic began brewing within the hall, sending the Legends into a frenzy of panicked questions and remarks.

"What?!"

"You can't be serious!"

"You do not mean that, Lord Arceus! You cannot mean that!"

" _I do._ " The Legends were silenced, put into a dread-induced stupor as their hope drained away. "As we are now, even if the entirety of the Legends fought Necrozma all at once, we do not have any sort of plan to defeat him, and our forces are weakened due to the loss of the Swords of Justice and the disappearance of Yveltal."

Arceus' intensity died down a bit, allowing the Legends to catch their breath a bit. "That being said, now that you are all here, it is the perfect time to make a plan. We, the Legends, alone cannot bring him down, but…if we can unite the entire world's population against Necrozma and his forces in broad daylight once he arrives in Goldenrod City, we may have a fighting chance."

"Milord," Rayquaza interjected with a bow, "By the entire world's population, you're not referring to the humans as well, are you?"

"Of course I am."

"You cannot be serious," Giratina hissed, "The humans are as unreliable as they come! They seek only self-profit, even if it means destroying whatever it takes to get it!"

"Something tells me that the survival of our world and, by extension, themselves will be more than enough of an incentive to fight," Arceus replied, "And not every human is completely selfish. I learned that from a very special human. There are those who would gladly sacrifice themselves for the sake of others."

Giratina scoffed. "Like your precious _chosen one?_ One good human doesn't redeem the cesspool of scum that is the rest."

Arceus eyed Giratina knowingly. "I recall that he saved you too once. And it wasn't just him. There were others besides him that chose to come to your aid."

Giratina let out an enraged growl, but then, a devious grin came to the Renegade Pokemon's mouth. "Twice, actually. One of them was from you."

"And I have apologized deeply for that incident," Replied the Alpha Pokemon, "And Palkia and Dialga have already forgiven me for my grievous misdeeds that day. I was...lost to rage. The fury that comes with betrayal is blinding. Maddening. I have vowed to never return to such a state again."

Giratina let out an arrogant scoff. "Your "golden children" only forgive you because they're too terrified of you to ever say differently. As I recall, the moment we decided to side against you, you had no hesitation when you decided to smite us. They say they forgive you because they don't have the guts to tell you how they really feel, _father._ Only I do!"

"Silence!" Roared Rayquaza, "Lord Arceus has already repented for his actions back then! Not to mention you, who also betrayed Arceus long ago and tried to usurp his throne, have no right to criticize him!"

Giratina merely laughed at Rayquaza's attempt at an insult. "Oh, really? When I went berserk all those years ago, I get locked in a warped, empty plane of existence for all eternity, but when he does it, he gets off scot free? Truly, our Lord Arceus is the face of equality and justice."

Arceus stamped his heel, sending a wave of golden energy pulsing through the floor of the hall. "Enough! We've gone too far off track, and every second we spend bickering amongst ourselves is a second of preparation for the coming battle that is wasted!" He turned back to Giratina sternly, "But...you do have a point, Giratina. I have been unfair with you. You will be relinquished of your sentence and will be allowed passage between the Distortion World and the real one freely, with no time limit."

This sent a wave of disbelief throughout the entire hall. Especially Giratina, who had expected Arceus to brush off his remarks as always.

"You cannot mean that!" Rayquaza protested, "Giratina would sooner join Necrozma with his freedom than protect our world!"

Giratina, genuinely awed but still wary, replied, "...You know, he's got a point. Why trust me now of all times? You sure I won't just stab you in the back?"

"No," Replied Arceus with a coy look in his eye, "Because you will be given your freedom _after_ Necrozma is slain, and I'm sure the both of us know what would be required for that to happen."

Giratina sunk down into his seat, glowering at Arceus, who was still giving him a knowing look. Almost a grin. If Giratina would be allowed his freedom, then he, too, would be forced to participate in the final battle against Necrozma. He would have to earn his freedom. "...Very well... _father…_ "

Arceus nodded, then turned back to address the Hall of Origins. "I know you are all questioning such a decision, even if some of you dare not voice it. My reasoning for this is simple. If we are to emerge victorious in a time like this, then we will need every single one of us to be perfectly united against Necrozma. If even one of us is disorganized, we will fall." He turned back down to Keldeo. "I trust you now understand my stance on not aiding the people of New Bark Town now?"

Begrudgingly, Keldeo replied, "...Yes, Lord Arceus. Even if I don't agree with it, I can see your point."

"Good. Now then, as I was saying: We will need to unite every human and Pokemon. The humans, or at least the trainers, are necessary because they have skill on the field of battle. They can give strategic orders to the masses of Pokemon and prevent any inward chaos that may ensue, as well as organize the Pokemon on the battlefield. Now, onto our duties…"

Deoxys raised his hand. "Lord Arceus, I apologize for interrupting, but where is Lady Mew? She's the only Legend not present. Even her clone, Mewtwo has come!"

"I already spoke to her ahead of time," Answered Arceus, "Mew will be operating from inside the Tree of Life. I needn't explain this to most of you, but the Tree of Life is the main factor of our world that allows life to bloom on our planet. If it falls, then the majority of life on Earth will suffer immensely."

"I see," Deoxys said, lowering his arm, "Again, I apologize for interrupting."

Arceus merely nodded to him, "It is of no consequence, Deoxys. Now, as I was saying...we will have to be organized if we want any chance of defeating Necrozma. Unfortunately, I will be unable to join you all in the beginning. Here, I will spend the next five days gathering energy. Once I deem it to be enough, I will rush to your aid and defeat Necrozma. As for you…"

The Alpha Pokemon turned to face the Legends, eyeing the rows upon rows of godlike creatures with immense powers. But more importantly, he stared upon his many children whom he considered to be his pride and joy. "You all will need to fight as hard as you can to stop Necrozma from damaging our world before I arrive. You must focus on your greatest attributes and use them in tandem with one another. Teamwork is the most important factor."

"Of course, Lord Arceus!" Rayquaza boomed heartily, "I will do anything you ask! I will guard this world and my fellow Legends with my life if I must."

Lugia couldn't help but to let out a laugh. A mocking one, filled to the brim with ire and disbelief. "I'm sure, Rayquaza. You've been one hell of a guardian so far." His laughter died down and in its' place was a glare that was practically dripping with spite. "You never even knew Necrozma was here until it was too late! That demon slipped right on past your sight and tore apart the homes of both I and the Elemental Birds! He took from us something that cannot be retaken! Because of your inability to guard our world properly, we will never be the same!"

Rayquaza hung his head, bowing down in guilt. He could not hope to deny what Lugia had said, for all of it was correct. "You...you are right, Lugia. I have failed as a guardian, and I have failed Articuno, Zapdos, Moltres and you...and for that, I cannot truly apologize enough."

With his tail, he pointed out the missing spike that had once been underneath Rayquaza's chin, then looked over to Mewtwo who was leaning against the bottom of Mew's pillar. "Not only have I failed you four, but while you were unconscious, Necrozma struck again and attacked Mewtwo's home. I managed to intercept him, but was unable to defeat him...I was nothing more than a ragdoll to that monster, and though I was able to allow Mewtwo and his underlings to escape, his home was completely eradicated, and to show for my failure, I have this…"

Lugia's eyes widened at the sight of Rayquaza's injury. He had a piece of his body torn from him as well. Nevertheless, his rage did not subside. In fact, it only furthered it. "That's exactly what I'm talking about! If you could not even phase that demon, you are unfit to be a guardian!"

"Hold your tongue!" Arceus ordered, "It is not your place to decide such things!"

Lugia snarled at the divine Pokemon. "Oh, is that right?! You would allow his failure to pass, then?!"

Arceus shook his head, "I would not. In fact, I already _have_ not. After Rayquaza's duel with Necrozma, I revoked his status as guardian of the Earth, but not because of his failure. It is because I realized that stopping Necrozma alone is suicide, and I will not willingly put the lives of my children to death for an impossible cause!"

Lugia tried to speak up, likely another savage retort, but Arceus stopped him with a look that told him to be silent, so begrudgingly, he abided it. "Lugia," Arceus spoke, "I may have already mentioned this previously during this hall meeting, but I, too, dueled Necrozma after Rayquaza did, and had similar luck. I couldn't scratch him. If not even I could harm Necrozma, then what chance did Rayquaza ever have at stopping him?"

Lugia stared down in thought, then replied, "...I see. Yes, if even the 'almighty' Arceus could not stop that monster, then Rayquaza would surely be unfit for the job."

"Lugia, please," Arceus spoke with an exasperated sigh, "This isn't like you at all! I need you to realize just how dire of a situation this is, and normally, you would be completely level headed! I need you to trust in me if my plan is going to work!"

Lugia laughed dryly. "Trust in you? Level-headed? Like how you trusted in my level-headedness enough to put me to sleep because you feared I would do something _you_ would regret?"

Arceus' gaze faltered, and and in its' place came a melancholy stare. "You...were in a berserked state. If I had let you rage about, you would have refused to be healed by Xerneas and likely went out to hunt down Necrozma by yourself, and gotten killed at that." He stared back up at Lugia with a tender stare no one in the hall had ever seen from the Alpha Pokemon before. "Listen, Lugia...you and all the other Legends are very dear to me. If you had died, then I myself would have likely gone completely berserk as well and followed your footsteps in hunting down Necrozma by myself...and died as well, dooming the entire world to death as well with no one left to properly defend against that monster. You, the other Legends, and every living creature on this world are my sons and daughters, down to the very last single-celled organism. I care for you immensely."

The Beast of the Sea let out a dry, short chuckle, then turned to the screen showing the people of New Bark Town helpless amongst the flames. "You love each and every one of us huh? Every last living thing? I think they would beg to differ."

Arceus winced. "You know that's for the greater good! If we intercepted now, then-"

"I don't want to hear it," Lugia spat back at him. With that, he returned to his seat, glaring death at any who dared to give him an odd look on the way there.

Arceus sighed deeply. "Very well, then. You may think what you will. For the rest of you, I need you to fill your roles the best you can. Xerneas, I'll need you to heal the fallen and supply whatever energy you can to the Legends. Any of you who can fly, keep an eye over the battlefield while fighting. The larger and more powerful amongst us here will fight on the front lines. For the smaller Legends, you stay behind them and attack at range. Provide support however you can do best. But…" He eyed some of the smallest, weakest Legends in the room, "Some of you simply aren't fighters. Manaphy, take your Phione children and flee to the far seas. You needn't worry about this clash."

Manaphy nodded. "As you wish, Lord Arceus…"

"Jirachi's been asleep for some time as well," Said Arceus, "I'm not sure if she would even be reliable on such short notice. Though her wishing power would certainly be helpful, it does have its' limits, so we cannot simply wish away Necrozma either, for such a feat is beyond her power. The Regis are also inside the Tree of Life to defend it, so we cannot use them either."

He hummed in thought, sizing up the capabilities of the other remaining Legends, and though some came to mind as weak, he couldn't expend any more of them if they were to win. "...That is all, then," He announced, "You have your orders. Be prepared to march to Goldenrod City upon my order."

"Milord," Lunala spoke, "What about our theory about Necrozma's origin?"

Arceus paled a bit. ' _Oh no.'_

Lugia perked up, "I'm sorry, his _what?_ Lord Arceus, that seems like a rather important detail to skip out on. By all means, enlighten me, you've peaked my interest now."

"It's unimportant," Arceus quickly replied, "It's only a theory as to his origin and nothing more-"

"No, no, no," Lugia protested, "By all means Lunala, go on."

"I'm telling you it's not important!"

"If it's not important, then why are you trying to hide it?!"

"I'm not trying to hide it, it's simply not crucial! Not only that, but I don't want our Hall of Origins meeting to be wasted!"

"What time?! Didn't you just tell everyone they were dismissed?! We have time to spare!"

Arceus was about to retort, but Lugia made sure to give him a remark he couldn't stand up to. "Arceus, you wanted me to trust you didn't you? Well, here's your chance! How am I supposed to trust you if you won't even let me hear out what Lunala has to say? If you're hiding something from me, how am I supposed to trust you at all?"

"I…" Arceus tried to retort, but couldn't. He knew Lugia had a point, but there's no telling what Lugia would do if he believed Solgaleo and Lunala's theory. Chaos would ensue, and that's the last thing he needed at a time like this. But, if Lugia knew he was hiding something from him, the last thing he would ever get from the Beast of the Sea was trust. "Very well," Arceus replied, hanging his head, "But if you don't like what you hear, don't blame me. Or Lunala and Solgaleo, for that matter. Remember, this is nothing more than conjecture."

A smile that Arceus couldn't tell was genuine or not came upon Lugia's face, and he bowed. "Thank you, milord." Then, he nodded at Lunala to continue, to which the Legend of the Moon mirrored Lugia's nod and cleared her throat.

"Right, then...you see, during the time Arceus briefly dueled Necrozma, we were able to catch a glimpse of his energy...and it felt familiar…"

"What?!" Lugia exclaimed, "But no one could sense him! Not I, the Elemental Birds or Rayquaza, given that he failed to stop him from slipping through! How could _you_ do it?!"

Lunala huffed, but kept her composure, "Well, if you would let me finish, you might find out. Honestly, Lugia, you're acting like Giratina! It's disappointing."

Lugia glowered at her. The thought of being compared to what, for thousands of years, was seen as the scum among Legends made him fume internally. He dared a look at Giratina, who gave him an even greater look of disgust. "Tch," He spat, "Go on with your wretched story."

"It was you who asked to hear it," Lunala countered, but complied regardless, "Anyways, I'll just give you the abridged version, then. You see, Solgaleo and I sensed something familiar within Necrozma, but the sensation was fleeting and we could not make sense of it. We believe Necrozma may be...an old friend of ours from when we were young."

Solgaleo nodded and continued his counterpart's train of thought for her, "Lunala and I were not always in the form you see us in. We were initially much smaller creatures called Cosmog, and we lived in a separate dimension called Ultra Space. There was a third Cosmog with us at the time, and we swore to escape our world via Ultra Wormholes, which appear within that dimension from time to time and whisk away whatever is nearby. Well, one day, one did appear to us, but the third Cosmog was not with us at the time."

Lunala spoke next, "And so, we were whisked away to your world, morphing into the state you see us in now. Though that third Cosmog was left behind, and we believe that they somehow found another Ultra Wormhole to our world, but appeared far beyond where we did, and only now found us after conquering Deoxys' world and many others in some twisted fit of vengeance."

Lugia hummed in thought, closing his eyes to take in the information. Arceus looked on apprehensively. He could feel Lugia's rage bubbling, yet he dared not intervene for fear of worsening the situation. Lugia re-opened his eyes after a few moments and said, "So...what you mean to tell me, is that you are a potential reason for Necrozma's appearance. That the fault lies with both Deoxys and you lot?!"

Deoxys went to hiss a retort at the Beast of the Sea, but Arceus beat him to the punch. " _That is enough, Lugia!_ ' Arceus stamped his heel into his throne with such force that the entirety of the Hall of Origins, dimension and all, quaked. The Legends collectively scrambled out of their seats apprehensively, sensing the potential danger at hand. Arceus' Aura transformed from a golden-white to a dark, menacing crimson red and glared death into the Lugia's eyes. The Beast of the Sea was taken aback, and his own breath was caught in his throat in a terror he had forgotten the Lord of Legends was capable of instilling.

" _The blame lies with no one, Lugia,"_ Boomed Arceus, who had lost his patience. If appeasement and passiveness would not work with the Guardian of the Seas, then the force of the God of this world would. " _You are so blinded by your hatred that you would take your frustrations out on your very brothers and sisters of the Hall! I will not allow it!_ "

"That sounds awfully familiar…" Giratina remarked, "Taking your blind rage out on your kin...doesn't it?"

Arceus allowed his rage to fade, though far from entirely, and turned to address his Renegade son. "...You are ever correct, Giratina. I was blinded by rage many times, and hurt the ones I care for many times. That is why I must now address my children...so that they do not make the same mistakes I did."

"I am no child," Lugia hissed, "Especially not one of yours. So you can keep your sickening family platitudes to yourself." Without waiting for the Father of Pokemon to be able to reply, Lugia returned to his portal. The three Elemental Birds went ahead of him, returning to their homes.

"Wait!" Arceus ordered, "Where do you think you're going?!"

"I recall that you said the Hall was dismissed a while ago, so I'm leaving. But don't worry, I am not going to shrink out on the battle against Necrozma…" He gave Arceus one last toothy smirk. "I wouldn't miss it for the world." Then, Lugia disappeared, leaving the Hall of Origins.

Arceus let out an exhaust-filled sigh and lowered his head. After nearly a minute of the other Legends awaiting their father's next move with baited breath, the Alpha Pokemon raised his head once more to address the rest of the Hall. "...The rest of you are dismissed. I would get your affairs in order as best as you can, and prepare yourselves for war."

The Legends of the Hall of Origins nodded to Arceus collectively and began disappearing through their respective portal one after another. Deoxys was one of the last to go. He was lost in his own thoughts. On hand, he was elated that the chance to avenge his family and his world was at hand. On the other...the memory of the stygian galactic conqueror was burned into his mind, as was the dread that merely being in his presence inflicted. He wanted nothing more than the corpse of Necrozma to lay underneath his heel, but he was unsure of his own capability to make such a miracle occur. The DNA-based Pokemon shook his head to rid himself of the thoughts, as dwelling upon them would only make the wait more agonizing, and disappeared through his portal.

As Rayquaza was about to enter his own portal to go back to his charge of the upper atmosphere when he was, quite literally, stopped. A pinkish-purple glow took hold of the emerald-green, serpentine Legend, keeping him held still. The hold was released soon after it came, allowing Rayquaza to find the perpetrator. It was none other than Mewtwo.

"I apologize for that," Mewtwo told him, bowing his head a bit, "But I need to speak with you."

"There are other ways to make conversation than to freeze someone with Psychic powers, you know," Rayquaza replied with a small chuckle.

Mewtwo allowed a wry smile to creep up along his face, "Fair enough."

"So, then. What did you need of me?"

Mewtwo stared back up at the serpentine Legend. "I watched a portion of your duel with Necrozma. During that duel, you were able to transform yourself and increase your power immensely. I was wondering if you could teach me that technique."

"Ah," Rayquaza said, "You wish to learn Mega Evolution."

"So it is called Mega Evolution," Mewtwo mused, "Yes...I would very much like to learn how to perform such a thing. I will need all the power I can get if I am to be of help in the battle against Necrozma to come."

Rayquaza let out a deep, elongated hum, deep in thought. "...Mega Evolution is not something that can be taught to everyone. There are simply some Pokemon that can do it, and some who cannot. Among the Legends, there is only one other besides me who can perform it. Diancie, too, can use Mega Evolution, but she is directly born from the Mega Stones that ordinarily allow a Pokemon to undergo the transformation."

"Mega Stones?" Questioned Mewtwo.

Rayquaza nodded. "Mega Stones are unique stones mostly found within Kalos and Hoenn that allow certain Pokemon to channel their energy through the stone and another stone called a Keystone to undergo Mega Evolution and transform, becoming far more powerful than they are normally, but only for a given amount of time based upon their stamina."

Mewtwo frowned. "If the stones are naturally occuring and tied to certain Pokemon only, I may be out of luck. As you know, I myself am not exactly naturally occuring."

"Yes, I had thought of that," Rayquaza said, "But I don't think the lack of a Mega Stone will be the end. After all, I learned how to use Mega Evolution without one."

Hope returned to Mewtwo's eyes in the form of a glint. "Such a thing is possible?!"

"Indeed," Replied Rayquaza with a nod, "I am not one to give up hope so easily, and neither should you. I would be glad to teach you how to Mega Evolve if I can."

"I-I," Mewtwo stammered, "Thank you, Rayquaza…"

Rayquaza smiled down at the clone Pokemon. "Think nothing of it. Actually, consider this my apology for destroying your home in my battle against Necrozma."

As the two Legends left through Rayquaza's portal, only three legends remained behind. There was of course Arceus, who remained within the hall at almost all times, and his two original sons, barring Giratina, Palkia and Dialga who stayed behind.

"Palkia, Dialga?" Arceus asked with a questioning look upon his divine face, "Why do you remain? Is there something you wish to discuss with me in private?"

Palkia nodded, but was hesitant to speak. "...My lord-father…" He began, "We...wish to speak to you...regarding what Giratina said earlier…"

Arceus' blood ran cold for a moment, but a pang of guilt soon took place of the shock. ' _So, then…'_ He thought to himself, ' _Was he right after all?_ '

"In truth," Dialga spoke next, "There is a part of what Giratina has said that rings true. For a long time, we were terrified of you. Many of us still are."

"Not just us," Palkia followed up, "But the entire Hall of Origins. It started after your initial banishment of our brother, Giratina."

"It is not as if we're saying what you did was necessarily unjust," Dialga quickly added, "But at that time, your mannerism and tone...were unlike anything we had ever seen before. After Giratina had attempted to usurp your throne, you revealed a side of yourself that has left many of those amongst the Hall in shock and fear up until this very day."

"That is to say," Intervened Palkia, "Not all of us are still like that. Though, after that human, Marcus, betrayed you and tried to keep the Jewel of Life to himself, that rage returned again and left us petrified. I don't know why you left for so long after that, but when you came back, that rage had only grown, and the Legends were unsure if you were to ever come back. Then Dialga and I became enraged as well, fighting amongst one another for eons in your absence."

"That," Dialga continued, "Is one reason we decided to side against you that day. We were fearful that, in your rage, you might end up destroying the entire world. After those humans that were alongside your Chosen One saved us from our own rage, we couldn't let yours go...though he would never admit it, Giratina thought like us that day…"

Arceus' eyes widened with shock.

Palkia nodded and spoke next. "We were terrified of you. We thought you were completely lost to your rage, and so we sided with the humans that had saved us from ourselves in the hopes that they could do the same."

"So…" Dialga started, lowering his gaze, "Giratina was not...entirely wrong when he said we all feared you…"

"But even still, we revere you even more," Palkia quickly added onto Dialga's confession, "We could never truly turn our backs on you!"

Arceus was genuinely dumbstruck. Even in the most pressing or stressful of situations, Arceus, the God of all Pokemon and creator of the world, still had a quick-witted speech or remark...but not here. His two sons left him in a complete awed stupor. He let out a deep sigh, and confessed something of his own. "Palkia...Dialga...my sons...I cannot apologize to you enough for the pain my selfish actions have caused you...both you, the other Legends, and all the life I created, I threatened with my anger. In my blind rage, I...caused the entire world immense, needless suffering."

"That's not true!" Palkia protested, "Though you may have lost yourself to anger, you still gifted us with creation!"

"Palkia is right!" Dialga followed, "We have lost ourselves to anger once as well, and caused suffering to many as we clashed with one another. We caused suffering to many humans during our countless duels, pulling many into our makeshift arenas as we did so...including your Chosen One...what you're saying about yourself simply isn't true!"

" _It is…_ " Arceus pushed, causing his sons to flinch. "...I knew it. My actions have caused far more suffering to my children than they deserve…" The God Pokemon's memories flashed before his eyes, retelling countless stories of the pain he's inflicted upon others. First, there was Giratina. His first-born son. He recalled the sheer terror in his eyes as his father cast him away into a dimension of pure isolation. He recalled himself mercilessly attacking his three first-born sons when they dared to side against him. He recalled the lands of Michina Town and its' surroundings going from a lush green paradise to a cold, bitter wasteland as he retook the Jewel of Life after his chosen had helped him reclaim it. He recalled the faces of those who had lost everything after the destruction of the Orange Islands, and how he undid the healing for them after the humans, in their grief, lashed out at him for being unable to revive their loved ones. And he recalled so much more. Painful memories of himself causing even more pain to his own children time and time again. It needed to stop.

"Palkia...Dialga...this goes for the other Legends and everything Mew and I have created on this wonderful Earth…" He gazed up at his sons with a soft, apologetic look in his eyes. Regret, shame, sadness and more were all that was left of the Alpha Pokemon's age-old, unending anger. "...I...have always cherished you all...even if I was too blinded by my selfish rage to see it…and I am genuinely sorry beyond what words can express..."

The Masters of Time and Space were completely awed by their father. They had genuinely expected a half-assed apology at best, and an order to leave him and prepare for the battle ahead at worst. They could never have dreamed of their father giving them a genuine, melancholy expression of remorse.

"L-lord Arceus!" Dialga exclaimed.

"What are you saying?!" Palkia followed suit.

"What I am saying…" Arceus spoke softly, "Is that I love you...all of you...and I will never forgive myself for how I have wronged you…nor do I expect any of you two."

"F...father…" Arceus' sons uttered… "We...cannot thank you enough for such praise…"

"There is no need for thanks," Arceus replied, "I am simply giving you what you...all of you...were owed millenia ago...and when the time comes for us to end Necrozma's reign of terror once and for all, we will not do it as the Hall of Origins or the Legends...we will do it, both us, the non-Legendary Pokemon, and the humans, as a family."

The Masters of Time and Space bowed proudly and valiantly cried, "YES, SIR!"

With that, Arceus let his sons be on their way, leaving him alone in the Hall to his thoughts. Previously, he would have berated himself without end for showing weakness to anyone, but now...the divine Pokemon felt as if an immense weight had been lifted from his shoulders. He felt at peace for the first time in thousands upon thousands of years. But, that peace soon left him and guilt took its' place as he gazed upon the screen showing the burning of New Bark Town.

"...Is this right?" He asked himself aloud, "To savor our strength at the cost of their suffering?" The Alpha Pokemon, after that emotional ordeal with his sons, didn't know anymore. His heart ached to see them suffer, but the thought of what might happen if the Legends weren't at their peak performance by the time Necrozma next showed himself was also unbearable. But then...something caught his eye...something that chilled him to the bone.

"No...it cannot be!"

Ash Ketchum, his chosen one, was directly in the center of the town, surrounded by fire on all sides...and what was worse was that a shadow, one Arceus could never forget, was looming over him. _**Necrozma.**_

* * *

Ash and the gang's journey to New Bark Town was an arduous one. Goldenrod had been in a state of pure hysteria, even more so than any other place in the world, after Necrozma's worldwide message and rightfully so, given that the city was explicitly mentioned within the message as being Necrozma's destination of arrival. Luckily for Ash and the others, the trains were electrically-ran and thus, on autopilot, so they didn't have to worry about finding anyone willing to take them there.

That's where their luck ended, however. After a particularly-empty ride to Goldenrod City, the group found, of course, nothing. The city of Goldenrod was as much of a ghost town as Saffron was the previous day, only there was no psychotic Psychic awaiting them. Or at least, they hoped so. After wandering throughout the empty city, they eventually found a pier with one, singular old sailor readying a fairly-large boat to escape like the rest.

Ash and the others managed to catch him just before he set sail, but found it difficult to persuade him to get them anywhere near New Bark Town. Though, 'difficult' may have been an inaccurate word to describe their encounter with the old sailor. 'Impossible' was more like it, given that the moment they mentioned the flaming town, he immediately cut the rope holding his boat to the pier and sailed away before they could stop him.

They pondered their next move for a few minutes, before Zero, noticing the league of other abandoned boats at the pier, suggested taking one of them. Serena was quick to scold her and tell her that they couldn't simply steal someone else's boat, especially if that person could still be within the city and on their way to use that as their only escape method. To Serena's surprise, Riley and, to a lesser extent, Ash, actually ended up agreeing with Zero.

Riley told Serena that this was their only real way of realistically getting to the town fast enough due to their lack of Flying Types. Ash thought about going back to Goldenrod's Pokemon Center and calling up Professor Oak for that very purpose, but figured that it might not exactly be operational at the moment and went with the boat plan. Riley ended up convincing Serena that if there somehow was someone else still in the city, then there were plenty of other boats left over for them to take as well, and thus they made their way to New Bark Town.

With some help from the Aura users pushing the boat, Zero getting into the water to use Surf and Aqua Jet to push it, and Noivern pulling the boat from ahead to increase their speed, they managed to hasten their boat's pace and turn what should have been multiple days' worth of travel time over sea into a measly five hours, at the cost of Serena's stomach. During that time, Ash and Serena allowed their Pokemon to wander about the ship. Hawlucha in particular immediately went to his best friend's side, cheering him on as he helped pull the ship the entire way there. The Flying-type's lung capacity for being able to pull off such a feat befuddled the group. After five hours of nonstop cheering on Hawlucha's part, pulling on Noivern's, and pushing on Zero's and the Aura Users' parts, they finally touched shore.

Ash and the group were met with nothing but hills as far as the eye could see once they met land. They appeared to be in a cove of sorts, with very little sand that quickly met grass. Serena was the first off the boat, happily clinging onto the grass.

"Sweet land, I've taken you for granted for far too long," She cried as she rolled about in the emerald green grass.

Noivern, huffing tiredly for air, came down next, with Hawlucha by his side. As Noivern lowered himself to the ground, his friend and mentor Hawlucha quickly hopped off the boat to catch him. Noivern made some sort of cooing sound, apparently as some kind of signature of gratitude. Hawlucha grinned down at him and gave a thumbs up to his exhausted friend, congratulating him for his hard work.

Zero came up out of the water, soaked to the brim. Riley quickly met her, handing her a towel which the young girl gratefully accepted. The other Pokemon came out next one by one, happily stretching themselves now that they had room to do so. Ash came out last. The fatigue from using his Aura for the past five hours made him dizzy, but he was otherwise fine. He looked over towards Riley and Lucario to see if they were in the same boat, (no pun intended) but they appeared to be fine.

' _I've got a long way to go if I'm gonna catch up to them,'_ He thought to himself with a sigh, He looked up at hills. The clouds above them were plentiful and bulky. They were smoke clouds, only white since they were far away enough from the source of the flames. His eyes narrowed, resolute.

"Hey guys," Ash called out to his group, pointing up at the hills and the billowing smoke ahead, "New Bark Town should be just up ahead, I think! Let's get going!"

Riley nodded, "You're right. Just beyond those hills are hundreds of people waiting for our help. We should get moving."

Riley motioned for Lucario and Zero to follow him as Serena, meanwhile, stumbled back to her feet with some help from Ash and Pikachu. Lucario attempted to follow his partner, but was stopped when Zero tugged at his paw. She made a motion with her arms, signaling that she wanted to go up. Lucario rolled his eyes and merely began to walk away, or at least attempted to. The Aura Pokemon's mouth furrowed into a deep frown and he grit his teeth, but ultimately turned back to the young girl and placed her atop his shoulders begrudgingly and with a glare that could kill.

So then, Ash and the others made their way up the hill, and as they did, they were confronted by a horrific sight. Further away was New Bark Town, coated in flames. The white smoke clouds were replaced with the black, ash-coated ones that rose up from the remains of the town and its' inhabitants. Ash, Riley, Pikachu and Lucario's expressions darkened at the sight. Serena, meanwhile, became pale. She had thought she could handle a sight like this after all she's been through as of late, but thinking about what lied in wait for them in the burning town, especially after seeing the people being consumed by the flames on the news, was too much for her to handle.

She was snapped out of her stupor when Ash grabbed hold of her hand. She jumped a bit in shock and met Ash's eyes questioningly, though it wasn't as if she didn't enjoy it. Ash stared deeply into her eyes wordlessly, but Serena saw the meaning behind them. He was telling her that they would be fine, as always. He was telling her that they would come out of this, just as they had come out of situations like these time and time again, but if they didn't go, many innocents would be lost.

"...Alright," Serena said, with resolution in her eyes, "Let's go."

With that, the group charged towards the burning town, ready for anything. As they neared New Bark Town, it became harder and harder to breathe amongst the ashes and smoke. Yet, they couldn't falter. Not when so many lives were at stake.

"Alright," Ash said, "We should split up and search for survivors." He turned to Zero first. "Zero, you'll probably be the most help here, since you can use Water attacks. You should focus on putting out as much of the flames as you can and flying any survivors you find out of this place."

Zero nodded and took off into the flames, spraying Water Guns from her hands as she went.

Ash turned to Serena next, "You should have Braixen go off alone since the flames won't hurt her and find survivors, then have her report back to you and use Clefable's Psychic to get rid of the flames. As for Sylveon and Pangoro, keep them close so you don't get hurt."

"Got it," Serena said with a nod. She breathed in deeply, facing the flames. Just as she was about to head inside, she was stopped by Ash grabbing hold of her hand once more. Immediately, a rush of energy swelled within her, and a blue barrier appeared around the young trainer.

"It's an Aura barrier," Ash told her, "It should keep you safe from the flames, but I don't know how long it'll last, so I would be careful if I were you."

Serena nodded at him once more, thanked him, and took her team of Pokemon into the flames.

Ash turned to Riley and Lucario next. "I don't think I need to tell you guys what to do."

Riley chuckled, "Right you are. Lucario and I have been handling stuff like this for years, so we'll be fine. See you inside."

With that, Riley gave a short wave of the hand to his pupil, summoned an Auric barrier around himself along with Lucario, and the duo faded into the smoke.

"Now then," Ash said, turning to his team, "That just leaves us…" He placed a hand to his chin in thought, scanning his team of Pokemon and scrambling his mind for potential strategies. "First thing's first," He said, turning to Noivern, "You've been exhausting yourself for the past five hours, so you're out of the question." A frown came to his face as he realized that taking his only Flying type, that could _actually_ fly anyways, off of a mission like this might be costly, but endangering the life of his Pokemon wasn't exactly on his to-do list either, and returned Noivern to his Pokeball.

He noticed a complex array of expressions on Hawlucha's face as he did so. It didn't take a genius to know why. "Hawlucha," Ash spoke, snapping the Wrestling Pokemon out of his stupor, "I know you were looking forward to working with Noivern on this mission, but he's been pushing himself for the past couple hours now, and he's deserved a rest. Not to mention, all the smoke might make him pass out midair, which would end in disaster."

Hawlucha crossed his arms, humming in thought, but ultimately nodded to his trainer, understanding his point. He wouldn't exactly like placing his best friend in that kind of danger either. "Good," Ash said, "Then...let's see what we can do without Noivern for now…" One idea quickly struck Ash, given that he already said this to Serena about her Braixen. "Infernape," He started, catching the Fire monkey Pokemon's attention, "The flames won't hurt you, so you should go off alone through them to find survivors as quickly as possible, then either escort them out or try to find someone else that can put out a flame if they're surrounded with no way out."

"Fernape!" Infernape replied heartily with a salute. Having been given his orders, Infernape took off, using Flame Wheel to travel quicker.

Ash hummed in thought, scratching the scruff of his chin as he did so. "...This should go without saying, but Pikachu, you're with me." Pikachu chirped happily, and jumped up onto his lifelong friend's shoulder. "As for the rest of you...hmm…" He turned towards Goodra next. "Goodra, you should use Rain Dance. With how much fire there is, I'm not sure if it will help, but anything is worth a try. Just keep the rain coming down for as long as you can.

"Dra!" Goodra replied with a nod. The gooey Dragon Type bounded off to the side of the road, then stared up into the sky with a deep blue energy surrounding her. With a booming cry, Goodra released the blue energy up into the sky and, surely enough, it began to rain. Ash quickly turned back to the flaming town before him, but was disappointed to see that it wasn't really having any effect. It seemed that the raindrops were evaporating before they could make contact with the fire.

"Still…" Ash started, thinking aloud, "The rain should eventually make the area damp and the flames will have a hard time burning…" A frown crawled its' way down the trainer's mouth and he stared deeply into the flames. His Aura flared slightly, reacting to the terrified and pained cries from whoever was left alive amongst the survivors. "...But will it be fast enough…?"

Ash quickly shook his head. "The longer I take to think, the less time they'll have." He turned towards Sceptile next. "That fire probably won't be easy for you to work with, and your moves don't exactly give you much in the way with dealing with those flames anyways, so...I would try to find higher ground, and if you see any open areas without much fire, try there. From there, use your speed to save as many people as you can instead of your attacks."

Ash's Sceptile planted its' signature twig in its' mouth, nodded quickly, and bolted away to fulfill Ash's orders. Ash turned to Hawlucha, seeing as he was the only remaining member. "I suppose you're with me, then, Hawlucha," Ash told him, "Like Pikachu." Hawlucha grinned up at Ash and nodded cheerfully. This way, he could still be close to Noivern as well. Pikachu hopped down from Ash's shoulder and gave his fellow teammate a high five, to which Hawlucha happily gave him one back.

Ash chuckled at their antics. "Great! So, then, let's hop to it, eh?"

"Cha!" The two Pokemon cheered eagerly.

After waving goodbye to Goodra, Ash, Hawlucha and Pikachu who had once again hopped onto Ash's shoulder approached the flaming town. The young trainer let out a deep sigh, then summoned his Aura into a barrier around the three of them. With the barrier in place, Ash stepped into the flames, ready to save the lives of as many people as he could.

Ash had never seen the inside of a fire before, despite how many times he'd been burned in his journeys. In those times, his eyes were always forced shut from the heat, but now, he could marvel at the sight of it without that disturbance...though with what he saw, he couldn't quite say it was pleasant. People often gave descriptions of hell as a dark, empty space with flames spanning all sides. What Ash saw was scarily accurate to that testament.

"This is...crazy…" Ash uttered in disbelief. Pikachu and Hawlucha's shocked gazes indicated they were thinking similarly to their trainer. Ash could barely tell that he was surrounded by flames right now. Outside of his little bubble of safety was nothing but pure red empty space, and blackened ground. The occasional piece of ebony debris flew past him in a similar manner to a tumbleweed from time to time, but quickly disappeared within seconds into the seemingly-endless void of red spanning around them.

Then, Pikachu's ear twitched and he looked to his left. "Pika!" The yellow mouse shouted, pointing left to get Ash's attention.

"Hm?" Asked Ash, "You hear somethin', buddy?"

Pikachu nodded, still pointing in the direction of the sound. "Pi, Pika!"

Ash nodded and turned to where his partner was pointing, then began sprinting. After a few moments, the flames around them ceased and they came upon an opening in the midst of the hellscape. Before them was a youngish boy, probably a trainer barely younger than Ash, with a white jacket, blue shorts and blond hair.

"Oh, thank Arceus!" The boy cried happily, "Someone came after all! Quick, get me out of here!"

Ash nodded and opened the barrier slightly so that the boy could enter. The boy stared at Ash tentatively. He appeared to look unsure about Ash and, more importantly, the barrier, but as he turned back to the flames that were slowly closing in, he decided that his chances were better taken with Ash, even if he didn't quite understand how he was making the barrier. Making up his mind, the trainer stepped inside the barrier and Ash closed it around them so the heat was no longer a threat.

The boy hunched over, taking the first cool breath he'd breathed in hours. "Thanks man...you're a lifesaver! The name's Euden by the way.

Ash smiled at the boy and waved off his compliment. "It's no problem, Euden. A couple of friends and I came here to save as many people as we can."

"Then you're apparently more dependable than the police," Euden spat, "I haven't seen a single one show up! Buncha cowards!"

Ash frowned, "Really? _No one_ showed up? I get that people are scared of this Necrozma thing, but still…"

Euden cringed at the mention of the monster responsible for the destruction of his town. "Yeah, probably...if that's what it is, I guess I can't blame them too much."

Ash's eyes glinted as a very important question came to his mind. "Say, Euden...is this Necrozma guy still around?"

The young trainer shrugged, "Beats me. I've been hearing some more explosions from time to time, but I'm not sure if it's him or just some cars gettin' caught by the fire."

"I see…" Ash said, looking down in thought, "...Well, I suppose there's no point in playing twenty questions all day with you, then. I'm sure you want outta this fire, so I'll help you outta this place."

Euden nodded eagerly. "Please do. I've been stuck here all day, and frankly, I'd rather never see another fire again in my life."

Ash emerged from the flames, out to the area they first went to. He knew it was the same place due to Goodra still summoning rain to try and pierce through the flames.

"Woah, is that a Goodra?!" Euden remarked excitedly, "I've never seen one before! Didn't know they came to Johto!"

"That one's mine, actually," Ash told him with a chuckle, "She's using Rain Dance to try to put out the fire, but I don't think she's had any luck yet."

"No kiddin'."

With that, Ash dispersed the barrier and allowed Euden to exit. "See you later," Ash told him, "If I were you, I'd stay around here for a bit and wait for us to find more people."

Ash summoned his barrier around himself, Pikachu and Hawlucha once more and turned back to face the flames, but then Euden called out to him once more.

"Hey, one last thing!" Euden shouted to Ash, "I got a sister in there! She's a year older than me and has a golden necklace of a crescent moon! She has an Absol with her too! My mom and dad are probably with her too, so can you keep an eye out for her?"

Ash flashed a thumbs up Euden's way, shouted back, "Will do," and walked back into the fire. Ash traversed the red hellscape with a quicker pace this time. During the initial trip through the flaming town, he was taking in the sight, but now, he had his mission on his mind and was going to see it through without fail. Ash gave his two partners with him a thumbs up, which they reciprocated, and emerged through another opening. This one was much, much larger.

It seemed like this place used to be a major roadway, and had only been consumed by the flames fairly recently seeing as there were many buildings on either side still standing even though they were on fire. A feeling of deja vu came over Ash suddenly, making him place a hand to his forehead to try and remember what was so familiar about this place.

A searing, piercing agony tore through his head, forcing him to clutch at it and hiss in pain, falling to his knees. Pikachu and Hawlucha quickly went to his aid, or at least tried to. Some kind of memory Ash couldn't seem to remember tore at his consciousness, forcibly making his Aura flare.

"Pika Pi!" "Lucha!"

Ash's partners and friend frantically tried to aid their agonized trainer, but for the life of them they couldn't figure out what to do. The thought of shocking him came to Pikachu's mind. It was a thought he quickly got rid of, instead opting to hold onto Ash's coat in an attempt to steady him. Hawlucha crouched down and held him tightly, but Ash kept thrashing.

Ash's vision flickered, and every time it did, it seemed to take him to a very similar yet different version of the area they were in. Like static, Ash's vision transferred between these two areas. Then, it hit him at last. He'd dreamt about this place before. It was the day he'd heard of the Orange Island's _demise_.

In that dream, he was surrounded by a flaming hellscape of a town. It looked exactly like this one. Nothing more than a desolate wasteland of fire. His eyes widened as he recalled the dream. If the burning town had come true, then what came next was-

"Serena!" Ash called out suddenly. Surely enough, there she was. Emerging from the flames, Serena and her Pokemon came into the opening from the opposite side. Ash knew what happened next, yet, just like in the dream, he couldn't move. But unlike in the dream, he could speak.

"Serena!" He cried out desperately, "Don't come any closer! Get out of here!" He didn't see her in the dream, but he could never forget what happened. What he had heard. She screamed in utter terror, and then was silenced by the roar of the flames.

Serena had failed to hear Ash's warning. "Ash? What's wrong?! Hold on, I'm coming quick!"

" _No!"_ Ash shouted, "Don't come any closer! You have to get out of here!"

Serena vigorously shook her head, sprinting towards Ash with her Pokemon in tow. "No way! If we run into trouble, we'll face it together, remember?! Like you told me up on the hill!"

"You don't understand!" Ash pleaded, "Something...terrible is about to happen! You need to get awa-"

Ash was cut off suddenly by a deafening explosion, forcing him to shield his eyes with his arms. From the flames to their side, something with gas in it must have been set ablaze, causing a detonation to consume the two of them. A terrible wave of dread came over him. This couldn't be happening, he thought. It couldn't.

"Not her…" He whimpered as tears threatened to dot his eyes, "No, not her…!"

Ash Ketchum, the ordinarily-valiant young trainer with bravery to spare, the young boy who would put himself between dueling Legends to save a life, paled in absolute terror as a chilling, metallic-sounding dark laugh manifested around him from seemingly every direction.

" _ **Ah, young love. So adorable and heartwarming, yet so terribly, terribly fleeting.**_ "

Ash's breathing became labored, making him pant frantically for every ounce of air, yet none of it seemed to be enough. Every breath he took only made the next more difficult to achieve. He soon dropped to his hands and knees, making Pikachu and Hawlucha crouch down to his side. Yet, they too were struggling to obtain their next breath of air. The overwhelming feeling of terror they felt crushed the oxygen from their lungs.

" _ **Short of breath, my boy? Yes, explosions always seem to take my breath away as well. Truly, a wonderful sight.**_ "

"Y-you...b-bastard-!" Cursed an enraged Ash, who forced himself back onto his feet even though the lack of air was nearly making him pass out more and more by the second, but an even stronger feeling; one of absolute, unadulterated rage triumphed over his shortness of breath.

Pikachu managed to stand back up as well, sparking his cheeks furiously. Hawlucha followed their example and used Bulk Up to prepare itself for whatever lied in wait for them ahead.

Another chilling laugh echoed through the fiery hellscape that echoed through Ash, Pikachu and Hawlucha's very bodies, yet they still remained defiant.

"What did you do?!" Ash demanded, flaring his Aura, " _WHAT DID YOU DO TO HER?!_ "

" _ **I merely saw an opportunity, my boy. Here, I see an adorable young couple reuniting amidst the fires of a burning town and a vehicle that was somehow unharmed by the flames, so l thought I'd have some fun**_."

Ash growled like an animal. Such fury had never been known to him before. "Fun?! You...what are you?!"

The flames surrounding Ash's barrier were swept away suddenly, leaving in its' wake a dark creature with an angular, prismatic body, two arms with glowing white crystals and angular, sharp claws in its' wake. The creature's gaze pierced Ash to the core, putting him under a choking pressure that made him feel like he was being pushed to the ground, yet still he stood.

" _ **What am I?**_ " The creature repeated, " _ **I am the end of all things. I am what is inescapable by mortals and gods alike. I am the night that whisks away millions by the day in my cold grasp. I am death. I am Necrozma.**_ "

"You…!" Ash seethed. "So you're Necrozma! Why?! Why are you doing this?!"

Necrozma rolled his head and groaned in annoyance. " _ **I've already answered this question to another one of you sickening peons. I believe its' name was Lugia. Such a meager opponent for my welcome to this world.**_ "

"That was you?!" Ash demanded, allowing his Aura to flare out from his hands in drothes, "That whole thing ended up getting pinned on Lugia! Do you know how many people died because of what you did?!"

Necrozma let out an amused laugh. " _ **The sheer irony of that question is astounding. Do you know the answer to that question? Because I certainly don't. I've stopped counting for millennia now.**_ "

Ash clenched his fists, making his signature deep blue Aura brighten into a cyan one and seep from his hands like water. There was no more need for words in Ash's mind. Necrozma's blatant disregard for life sickened him to the core, and of course...Serena…

Ash let out an enraged scream, summoning his Aura in a column of raging cyan and shot out a wave, one carrying every last drop of Aura he could muster, out at the black demon.

Necrozma stared at the incoming wall of blue flames indifferently and, without moving an inch, Ash's attack dispersed without even making contact.

Ash fell onto his backside, his eyes widened and bloodshot. Every ounce of Aura he could spare without killing himself was used for that attack, yet it did absolutely nothing. "W-What? How?!"

Necrozma held out his arm and pointed a singular finger at the fallen Aura Guardian in training, summoning a tiny red ball of crackling energy. Thinking quickly, Pikachu took it upon himself to fire a Thunderbolt into the charging red orb, causing a small explosion of smoke. It availed to nothing. Immediately, the smoke was blown away, showing that Necrozma and the orb of energy were both completely unharmed. The yellow mouse took a step back in fear, but the sight of Ash by his side gave him the strength to continue facing down this dark menace.

"Piiikaaa-!" Pikachu began sparking its' cheeks, summoning as much Electric power as it could, "CHUUUUU!", then fired it off into one massive stream of concentrated yellow plasma...and dispersed before even making contact with Necrozma.

The aforementioned Leader of the Ultra Beasts gave the terrified trio an amused look, then turned his finger away from Ash and towards Pikachu. " _ **So the slave is faithful to its' master, then? Let's see if it will die in his stead.**_ "

" _No!_ " Ash roared, "Pikachu, get away from here! Run, and go find the others!"

Pikachu adamantly shook his head and stood in front of Ash with his arms outstretched to take the blow. Ash's original partner sparked his cheeks at Necrozma defiantly, refusing to leave Ash's side. Hawlucha, seeing the tragedy about to unfold before him, took it upon himself to tear a large stone from the ground and hurl it at the dark demon. Without moving, Necrozma turned his gaze upon the incoming stone and blew it to smithereens. Hawlucha appeared from behind the rubble and lurched at Necrozma with an X-Scissor attack, but of course, it did nothing. The second the attack came in contact with Necrozma's prismatic body, it shattered. The Wrestling Pokemon stared at his destroyed attack with horror, but was promptly blown back by some kind of invisible attack.

Ash cursed his helplessness. All he could do was shout, "Hawlucha, no!" uselessly as his Pokemon sailed backwards and landed in a heap in front of him. Pikachu quickly rushed to Hawlucha's aid and, to his relief, he was fine for the most part. Hawlucha growled, forcing himself to his feet and taking a stand against Necrozma. Pikachu followed suit.

"No!" Shouted a terrified Ash, "Leave! Run away from here!" He tried to stumble forward, but collapsed back onto his chest. "This...is an order!" Pikachu and Hawlucha, without looking back to their master, shook their heads. Abandoning their trainer and, more importantly, their friend was an order they could not abide.

The dark invader merely gave the last stand of these feeble creatures an amused chuckle, pointing his finger towards the both of them. " _ **Hah! So, the slaves sacrifice themselves after all! But tell me, if your pathetic kind can even speak that is, did you bother considering what would happen after your noble sacrifice? Who's to say I won't simply kill your beloved master as well?**_ "

Pikachu merely growled in defiance at Necrozma and jumped up at him, flipping around so that the yellow mouse Pokemon could deliver an Iron Tail, hitting him directly in the forehead and sending up metallic sparks.

" _ **Hmph.**_ "

Without warning, Pikachu was blown backwards by an attack he couldn't possibly see coming. Some kind of invisible pulse struck Pikachu clean in the chest and sent him sprawling backward in front of Ash where it lied, unable to move.

"Pikachu!" Ash cried out. He forced himself forward, crawling desperately towards his closest friend. Seeing this, a devilish idea came to Necrozma's mind and he pointed his index finger towards the two of them. Pikachu and Ash were focused completely on one another, unseeing of the demise coming their way. Hawlucha stared back at the two of them in horror and, without thinking twice, jumped in front of Necrozma's hand to take the blow.

" _ **Strike one.**_ "

A deafening explosion sent Pikachu and Ash flying backwards, yet even still they clung to one another as if their very lives depended on it. A cascade of crimson flame blasted out in every direction, hailing down a rainfall of fiery sparks. Ash shielded Pikachu from them as best as he could, covering him with his own body.

Once the explosion died down, Ash asked Pikachu, "Are you alright?" To which Pikachu gave him a weak smile, but nodded all the same. "That's good…" Ash replied with a relieved sigh, but then he realized something. "Wait, where's Hawlucha?!"

The two of them scanned their surroundings. More flame had consumed the area, somehow turning it into even more of a hellscape. Mere feet away, the two of them were surrounded on all sides by the raging, crackling fires. And Hawlucha was nowhere in sight.

"No…! Hawlucha!" Ash desperately called out, "Hawlucha, where are you?!"

"Pi, Pika!" Pikachu called out as well.

Then, their eyes tore open in shock. Amidst the flames, mere meters from them, was Hawlucha. His body was limp and charred completely black. Without thinking twice, Ash forced himself to summon another barrier, placed Pikachu upon his shoulder, and tore into the flame to retrieve his friend. But it was not to be. From behind Hawlucha's body, another tiny red ball of energy was hurled into the fallen Pokemon, blasting him into nothingness and sending Ash flying back.

The young trainer collapsed onto his back in a heap, with Pikachu barely holding onto his shoulders. They frantically looked back up to where Hawlucha laid before, but were met with the sight of flames surrounding the barrier at every turn. There was nothing left. The town had been completely laid to ruin, and Hawlucha had disappeared along with it.

" _NO!_ " Ash frantically roared. He refused to believe it, even when mourning tears freely flowed from his eyes, he denied it. There was simply no way it could be happening. "Hawlucha! Where are you?!" He scrambled to his feet, even though his exhaustion screamed at him to stay down. Even when his legs ached, he refused to stay down, and he refused to acknowledge Hawlucha's fate. " _HAWLUCHA!_ "

Tears dotted Pikachu's eyes as well, but he lacked the will to call out to his friend. "Pi…" He knew perfectly well what had happened. Staring clean into the flames, he knew Hawlucha's fate, and shut his eyes tightly.

Ignoring Pikachu, Ash continued to call out to his fallen Pokemon. "Hawlucha! Answer me! You can't…!" A lump rose in his throat as his tears flowed even more. He clenched his fists to the point he drew blood with his nails. He hung his head, for it was all he could do. "You...can't be…"

Another one of Necrozma's chilling, all-encompassing dark laughs surrounded the two of them. Ash bared his teeth, enraged beyond what he had ever known before. "Necrozma!" The boy bellowed, "Show yourself, monster!"

" _ **With pleasure**_."

The flames around them dispersed, creating an opening and revealing the dark demon, who floated down to meet them with a cruel, taunting look in his crimson red eyes. Ash's auric barrier fell apart, as the boy now lacked the strength to use it anymore. Pikachu threateningly sparked its' cheeks with a fury in his eyes that matched Ash's, and leapt off of his trainer's shoulder, surrounding itself with all the electricity it could muster to use Volt Tackle...and was promptly batted into the ground by Necrozma's fist with a sickening crunch.

" _ **Strike two**_."

"Pikachu, no!" Ash cried. He crouched down to his partner and held him tightly. Pikachu did not respond, hanging limply in his best friend's hands. "Pikachu!" Ash shouted desperately. He shook his partner gently, and when there was no response, he tried again harder. Still, there was no response. Ash placed his ear near Pikachu's chest. He wasn't breathing. Frantically, Ash tried to push down on Pikachu's chest repeatedly to instill breath within the small yellow mouse...yet still, there was no response.

Ash tried more forcefully this time, desperately trying to summon his Aura to help him save Pikachu's life. But he was far too exhausted. He couldn't will his Aura to appear in more than a tiny speck of blue flame that lasted naught but a second before disappearing into nothingness. But Ash refused to give up. "C'mon, Pikachu!" He pleaded, "COME ON! You can't do this! You can't! Serena...Hawlucha...now you?! No! I can't lose you!" He tried with all his might to summon his Aura with every downward push to Pikachu's chest, with no response every time.

Eventually, Ash slipped and fell over by Pikachu's side. Furiously, he tried to force himself back up to try again, but his body refused to listen. All he could do was extend his arm out to Pikachu's limp body and hold him. Tears would have been flowing like rainfall from the boy's eyes, but he no longer had any to give. The heat from the flames had sapped them away from him.

"...Pi...ka...chu…" Ash whimpered helplessly.

" _ **There's no need to worry, boy.**_ " The dark voice of Necrozma spoke from above him, pointing a finger down at him and summoning another red ball of energy, " _ **You will be with him again soon enough**_."

A fury hotter than any fire began coursing through Ash's veins as he heard that monster's voice. He gripped into the dirt at his side and forced himself to roll over. Even as his arms screamed at him to stop, Ash pushed up off of the ground and onto his knees. He heaved in air, placing a hand onto his kneecap, and pushed up. Every inch of his body ached in exhaustion, yet still, he forced himself back onto his feet. A dark, murderous look appeared in the once-joyous boy's eyes, and he panted for air, making some kind of amalgamation of a cry and an enraged hiss with every one.

"You…!" Ash no longer cared about his exhaustion. He no longer cared about the pain tearing throughout his body, both emotional and physical. He no longer cared that his Aura availed him nothing. Murderous thoughts screeched in Ash's mind, tearing the peace-loving, happy ones apart in their wake as they coursed through every inch of his consciousness. He managed to flare his Aura for a split second, and in that split second it was yellow.

With an animal-like screech, Ash lurched forward at Necrozma, aiming a punch at the demon before him. Necrozma merely laughed and opened his arms outward, welcoming Ash's attack. Ash's punch connected with Necrozma clean in the face, but the only thing it availed the boy was an injured wrist. With the last of Ash's strength gone, he fell forward, flat on his face beneath Necrozma.

" _ **Strike three. Y-o-u-'-r-e o-u-t.**_ "

Ash was lifted up in Necrozma's telekinetic grasp to meet face to face. The dark demon then opted to grip Ash by the neck with his hand, hoisting him up. Ash choked and sputtered, but could no longer even had the strength to open his eyes. All he could do was wait for the end.

" _ **Actually,**_ " Necrozma spoke, turning ash around towards Pikachu's limp body, " _ **There's one last thing you should see before I let you go.**_ " Necrozma lifted Pikachu up with his telekinetic powers as well, hoisting him up to Ash's face. Then, he lifted Pikachu up far above the two of them, dangling Pikachu by the tail and forcing Ash's eyes open to see it.

Ash wanted to scream, to cry, to shout, yet he couldn't do any of those things. Every last ounce of strength and willpower left within his body was left in pieces or erased completely. ' _Pikachu…'_ He thought weakly.

" _ **I don't suppose you'll be needing this anymore**_."

Then, he let Pikachu go. It was as if it was happening in slow motion for Ash. He could only look on uselessly as his first friend, his lifelong partner and the one who helped Ash start his journey sailed down into the flames of hell Necrozma created. Ash's life, the one he spent with Pikachu, flashed before his eyes. He remembered his first encounter with Pikachu. His tenth birthday, back in Professor Oak's lab. He remembered being electrocuted the moment he picked him up. He remembered when Pikachu had gravely injured himself to stop the flock of Spearow from killing them. He remembered being trapped within an icy cave with Pikachu and his other Pokemon refusing to leave his side to give him warmth. He remembered a time where Pikachu had nearly died due to him facing off against a Sinnoh trainer's Raichu, and how elated he was when Pikachu turned out okay. But those times were gone. Destroyed, along with Pikachu as he sailed down into the fire.

Then, suddenly, a crimson blur rushed down from the sky, scooping Pikachu up and saving him from harm.

" _ **What?!**_ " Roared Necrozma, taken aback.

Ash was dropped from Necrozma's grasp as the invader turned his gaze to the red blur. As Ash fell to the ground, he managed to take a glimpse at the red blur. It was Talonflame and something else on top of it was holding Pikachu. It was coated in shadow, so Ash couldn't see what it was. Talonflame whipped around and landed in front of a group of people running towards them. It was Riley, Zero and the other Pokemon. What's more, Serena was among them.

"Ash!" They called out as they sprinted towards their collapsed friend, "Hang in there!"

Ash allowed himself to grin, relief flowing throughout him, before he fell into unconsciousness.

The shadowed creature hopped off of Talonflame's back and handed Pikachu off to Zero, who used Heal Pulse on the injured mouse to stabilize it. "That should do it for now," She said, handing Pikachu over to Serena and turning back towards Necrozma, "As for you…"

"What the hell have you done?!" Riley demanded, "What did you do to him?!"

Serena stared sorrowfully at Ash's fallen body, holding Pikachu tightly in her arms. Yet, a part of her knew Ash was still alive. She couldn't describe why or how she knew. She simply knew, and that knowledge was enough to keep her strong. The rest of the Pokemon, barring Hawlucha of course, took a stand beside their masters and friends, raring to save Ash.

Zero pointed a finger at Necrozma, sparking blue electricity all throughout her body. "You must be Necrozma! Let our friend go!" The other Pokemon roared as well, sending out inklings of their own attack elements warningly as they rallied for battle.

Riley stepped forward, flaring his cyan aura in a miniature storm of blazing blue. "So, you're that disturbance I felt back on Iron Island. Because of you, my home was destroyed and countless lives along with it! Your time has come, Necrozma!"

Necrozma looked down upon the group of people and Pokemon before him and laughed. " _ **So, the cavalry has arrived then?**_ " With the flick of his finger, Ash's limp body was dragged across the charred ground and stopped before them. Zero quickly hunched down and began healing him as well. " _ **You can have your worthless friend back. I'll be sending you all down to hell shortly anyways.**_ "

Riley laughed dryly. "Funny. I was going to tell you the same thing." With that, he and Lucario together charged a singular, colossal Aura Sphere. Zero, after having healed Ash's wounds, stood up and charged her all-elemental Hyper Beam. Infernape and Braixen summoned their Blaze Abilities and began charging two Flamethrowers. Sceptile charged Solarbeam, Clefable and Sylveon charged Moonblasts, Goodra charged a Dragon Pulse, and Pangoro merely went to Riley and placed his hand atop his shoulder to allow his Aura to be drained. Talonflame perched itself next to the other Fire Types and began charging Flamethrower as well. The mysterious shadowed Pokemon placed its' hands together, summoning a swirl of water beneath them. A Pokeball fell from Ash's belt, squirming spastically. It burst, revealing Noivern who's eyes showed a berserked, vengeful frenzy for the loss of his friend. He roared savagely, with more hate oozing from every decibel, and used Boomburst with every ounce of his power.

"THIS," Riley bellowed, "IS THE POWER OF EARTH! YOU HAVE CAUSED TOO MANY TO SUFFER, NECROZMA! NOW IT'S YOUR TURN!"

With a mighty collective bellow amongst the group, they fired their attacks, combining them into one, singular beam of light like before. It worked against Sabrina, so they hoped it would work here as well. The beam of light shot forward, uprooting and destroying the very ground beneath it as it went. Necrozma stood still as the attack approached. This attack held the hopes and dreams of every living being on Earth. The combined force of Earth's mightiest warriors was merged into this attack. It was their last shot to end Necrozma's menace. The beam of light approached Necrozma...and was promptly swatted away with the back of Necrozma's hands like it was nothing.

The group stared in horror as their most powerful attack sailed away into the sky and exploded. Everything they worked up to, everything they had been working up to all this time, everything they'd journeyed so far and long for was all for naught. They were rendered helpless beneath Necrozma' grasp.

"W-what?!" Serena stammered, stumbling backward, "He just…!"

"That's impossible!" Shouted Riley, "There's no way he could have…"

Zero stared up at Necrozma in complete and utter fear. Every inch of her body began trembling, yet she could not bring herself to move. Was this what it was like for the Pokemon in the lab as they were cornered by her?

" _ **How utterly pathetic**_ ," Necrozma spat, " _ **If this is the best of this world's average fighters, then I can see why those other weak cretins call themselves 'Legends'. They're comparing themselves to bottom-line scum like you!**_ "

Before any one of them could even blink, Necrozma shot forward and caught Riley in the chest with his fist. Riley's eyes shot open, bloodshot, and he coughed out a small spat of blood before being shot off into the sky and crashing down behind the group. Lucario's eyes widened in shock and he tried to run to his partner's aid, but was stopped when Necrozma appeared before him and sent him sprawling across the ground with a mere flick of his finger. Then, the other Pokemon joined the fray. They collectively leapt above the dark demon, ready to attack him with everything they had. In an instant, a singular attack with such speed that it was invisible to the eye blasted them away.

Zero was the next to attack. "Earlier, he sent Ash towards us without touching him. So, this thing must be Psychic Type!"

" _ **Correct,**_ " The dark voice of Necrozma confirmed from behind Zero, making the young girl jump and whip around towards him, " _ **Or at least from my knowledge, that is what this world would classify me as.**_ "

Zero cursed mentally. It was always Psychic Types when she was around, wasn't it? Why did every enemy always have to have her one weakness?! Zero summoned a Dark Pulse in her hands, but instead of attacking Necrozma with it, she used Protect and sent that dark wave scattering across the barrier.

"This way, you won't be able to use Psychic attacks on me!" She boasted, "Dark Types are immune to Psychic, so your Psychic attacks won't be able to pierce this dark barrier!"

Necrozma chuckled darkly. " _ **Is that right?**_ "

Zero growled and lurched up at Necrozma with a Crunch attack, but to her horror, she was stopped and held still in mid-air by him. "What?!"

" _ **Oh, it's quite simple,**_ " Necrozma said, spinning the helpless Zero around with his finger, " _ **Your attacks and defenses mean nothing to me. You claim you can halt my attacks, yet you know nothing of what power I truly possess!**_ "

Necrozma slowly began to close his hand, crushing Zero more and more as he did so. At first, she refused to make a sound. Zero refused to allow herself to scream in the pain she felt, for it was nothing compared to what she'd already been through and she would not allow Necrozma the satisfaction of hearing her pain. Then, she heard the sickening, deafening voice of Necrozma within her own mind.

" _ **Ah, you are a tough one indeed, but I have broken stronger beings than you. You think you have seen hell? Allow me to show you what hell is truly like!**_ "

Zero's mind was assaulted with an array of images. The sight of entire civilizations burning to the ground, the agony of all who fell by the dark demon's hand, the fear, the sorrow, the pain of what he has caused for millions of years coursed through every single cell of Zero's body. Of course, he also made her feel what the Legends did when he fought them. He showed her death, made her feel it over and over and over again, but would not let her truly die, for then his fun would end.

Zero forced her mouth shut even when inky black tears flowed down from her void-like eyes. She would not scream. She could not scream. She couldn't allow herself to show pain. The pain she felt meant nothing compared to the pain she caused. If she screamed in pain now, it would be an insult to all the lives she ended.

" _ **...My, you are strong. Color me genuinely impressed. Not even one of the Legends was able to withstand that...but…**_ " Necrozma's crimson red eyes glinted and a terrible laugh emanated from seemingly everywhere around Zero, " _ **I have other ways of making you feel unending agony.**_ "

Like a puppet, Zero's body was twisted in Necrozma's grip, and she was turned towards her friends. Her arm was forcefully pointed up towards them, and without any hope for resistance, a ball of intense flames began to charge in her hand. Zero's black eyes widened as she realized what Necrozma was planning. "No…! NO, PLEASE!"

" _ **You believe that they saved you from your own personal hell. What better way to thank them than to send them down to the real one yourself?**_ " Necrozma leaned his head back, cackling like a madman, " _ **Tell me, my dear. Is there anything more painful than seeing those you love...die?**_ "

Zero cried out, trying to force herself with all of her might to avert her arm, but the almighty power of Necrozma kept her arm locked in place. She could not stop it. She had no hope and no power to do so. There was nothing in this world she could possibly do to stop herself from ending the only family she had and killing her saviors.

If Necrozma had a mouth, he would surely have been grinning. " _ **Ah, there it is. I told you, I always have ways of making you cry out in agony. Now, finish it!**_ "

"No!" She roared defiantly. Though, defiant as she may feel, Zero's body bent against her will in favor of Necrozma's, pointing the fiery ball clean at her family without any hope of resistance. She tried to pull her arm back with her other one, but Necrozma held her firmly in place.

" _ **Do it!**_ "

" _No!_ "

The ball of flames had been completed. All that needed to happen now was for Zero, or rather Necrozma, to will it to be so. Zero shut her eyes, unable to bring herself to look at it, which did not go over Necrozma's head. Zero's eyelids were forced open. Necrozma would make her watch as she destroyed the ones who gave her new life. Then, something hit the back of Necrozma's head.

"L-let g-go of my f-friend!"

A pebble had bounced off of Necrozma's armored flesh and onto the ground uselessly. The dark demon dropped Zero for the time being, opting instead to turn around to meet whoever dared to do such a thing. Serena, completely pale with terror, faced Necrozma. She was panting for air despite not being tired in the slightest and was white as a sheet. Necrozma's overwhelming, terrifying presence seemed to press down on every inch of her body like a weighted blanket suffocating her, but still, she forced herself to stand on her shaking legs, trembling like a leaf in an autumn wind.

Necrozma couldn't help but laugh at the pitiful sight before him. He placed a hand to his forehead and leaned back, laughing madly. " _ **You cannot be serious! What are you supposed to be, hm? What hallucinatory circumstances are floating around that empty head of yours that are making you think you can issue me an order?**_ "

"I-I bear...n-no illusions, N-Necrozma!" She stuttered, failing to obscure her fear, "I-I cannot beat y-you...I know th-that, but…" He willed herself to stare into the eyes of the dark beast before her with a look that she intended to be fierce but was pulled back by her obvious fear, "I w-will fight! I have t-to!"

Necrozma floated down to face her and opened his arms, welcoming her pathetic, futile attempts at whatever she was planning, if she even had a plan. Serena's eyes widened in fear and she subconsciously slid her foot backward as if to turn and run. She got ahold of her actions, shaking her head and attempting to glare at Necrozma, but her will was crumbling fast. It was as if she was a pillar already on the verge of collapse trying to withstand an apocalyptic tsunami.

She dared to look away from the demon's crimson eyes, landing her gaze upon the various fallen Pokemon around them. Each and every one of them had been knocked out in a singular blow, and there was no way they could help her. Riley, Lucario and Zero were in similar conditions, and though Zero was still awake, Serena doubted she would be of any help in the state she was in. Finally, her sights landed upon the unconscious body of Ash, and she pursed her lip, mustering the last of her will.

"Ash…" She whispered aloud, "Please, give me strength…"

She balled her hands into fists and turned her gaze back upon the monster staring back down at her. Even though he had no clear expression, Serena somehow knew that he was mocking her. She had no idea what she was going to do. She wasn't a fighter. Anyone that could possibly fight had already been taken down instantaneously by this...thing.

"What...are you?!" She demanded, "You're not a Pokemon! A Pokemon could never do something like this! No Pokemon could be this cruel!" She waved her hand around herself, motioning at the surrounding remains of the town that laid in complete and utter ruin. "What benefit does this do you?!"

Necrozma crossed his arms. " _ **Benefit? I've answered this question before to one of the other peons of this planet, but since you've all been a rather entertaining audience and you're all about to die anyways, I suppose I can tell you.**_ "

He pointed up towards the blackened, smoke-filled skies. " _ **I am Necrozma. That much, you already know from my message earlier. I lead an army of creatures from what was once the realm of my home. They are called Ultra Beasts. Together, the Ultra Beasts and I ravage and pillage planets and civilizations for their resources, though those resources only ever go to the beasts. As for me, I am satisfied by taking a few 'trophies' from the inhabitants of each world.**_ "

Necrozma snapped his fingers and three objects appeared. They comprised of a blue scale that looked similar to a feather, a green spike of some kind and a ribbed blue horn. " _ **These are the trophies I have collected from your world thus far. These were collected from the so-called 'Legends' of your world in our battles. And I assure you, I will have more trophies from your kind before I'm done here. You could say I'm a collector of sorts**_."

Hundreds of questions rushed to Serena's mind. Did Necrozma just say he took on the Legendary Pokemon, and if so...did those 'trophies' of his mean that he killed them, or at least defeated him? If Necrozma already took down the Legendary Pokemon, what chance did they have to defeat him?

Necrozma snapped his fingers once more, making the objects disappear into thin air. " _ **Ah, right. You already know who and what I am, but I've yet to divulge with you the 'why.' As for why I am doing this, well, it's quite simple really.**_ He shrugged halfheartedly, " _ **It's because I'm bored and all-powerful. Here I am, the most powerful being in existence. What is there for me to do with my limitless power and possibilities? Exert it! There is no point in having power if I am not going to utilize it.**_ "

"But for this?!" Serena demanded, "You use your power for the mindless destruction of countless lives! It's wrong! You can't just-"

" _ **I fail to see your logic**_ ," Necrozma interjected, " _ **I've been told countless times that I cannot use my power that way and that it's 'wrong' for me to do so. But who decides such things? Those with power do, for those without it have no means of saying otherwise and backing up their claims. Right and wrong are meaningless. I alone decide what I can and cannot do, and since my power has no rival, I can do anything! Everyone who has said otherwise is now nothing more than microscoping dust floating in the endless void of space.**_ "

"There are other ways to use your power than to destroy," Serena countered, "You can use it to protect!"

" _ **So I've been told. Protect what exactly? The Ultra Beasts? They are nothing more than tools for my amusement. Pieces in a game I'm not even playing. Do you expect me to simply sit on a throne and do nothing but watch them scramble about in their everyday lives? What's the point of that? I can imagine nothing more mind-numbingly mundane than that. Do you know what is truly exhilarating? Testing your power against another. There is nothing to me more satisfying than going from planet to planet finding beings that consider themselves without equal in their power and crushing them.**_ "

He stared back down at Serena, making her flinch. " _ **Of course, there's also the likes of you. The peons among peons. The commoners. I also enjoy destroying you lot as well. Watching entire civilizations fall by the thousands is satisfying to me. So, in short, I suppose you could say my motivation is to exert my power upon all of existence. The entire universe is within my power to destroy, and I wish to make that known to all who reside within it.**_ "

Serena clenched her fists. "You...you're pure evil!"

Ash's body twitched and his dulled eyes opened at the sound of her voice. "...Serena…?"

Necrozma shrugged. " _ **Perhaps. Once one can stare down at everything else from on high, the concept of good and evil do not matter. And if I am evil, what great force of 'good' is naturally out there to stop me? There is none. Good and evil are objects of a children's game. I am above that. I am power incarnate, I decide what that power is used for, and no force in the universe exists to say otherwise...unless…**_ " His eyes curled upward, as if he was meaning to grin, " _ **...you are willing to try?**_ "

Serena creased her brows, glaring at Necrozma but also being unsure how to follow up on his challenge. All of her Pokemon were downed, as were Ash's. No one was left but her to fight, but she was weak. Powerless, even...but if she ran, this monster before her would certainly kill her anyways, along with her friends. ' _But...I can't fight him!_ ' She thought, ' _What can I do, punch him?! If I run, I die and so does everyone else...and if I fight, it'll end up the same...so I…_ " She grit her teeth and shut her eyes tightly, trembling. She knew the answer, but it terrified her. Death was her only result. No matter what she did, both her and her friends would die, and there was no telling what Necrozma would do after. He'd likely go on to destroy the rest of the world...but if there was nothing she could do, then…

She opened her eyes once more. Necrozma was awaiting her answer patiently. The choice seemed obvious to her. She couldn't save herself, let alone anyone else. She trembled like a leaf. Fear of death plagued her at every turn, but it was inevitable. Now, her only options were to go down fighting or go down like a coward, and if her journey with Ash taught her anything, it was to never back down in the face of fear.

She shifted her glance down towards Ash one last time with tears flowing from her eyes freely. She wasn't sure if it was from guilt or fear, but she didn't try to stop them. "Thank you, Ash," She whispered, "For everything. If it wasn't for you, I would probably still be cooped up in my home and be terrified of the world...but you allowed be to break free from that shell and see just how beautiful it really is…" She tore her gaze from her lover's body and warped it into a frenzied glare as she faced Necrozma. ' _I'm just sorry I couldn't protect it...I love you, Ash…_ '

Ash's eyes regained their color and shot open as he realized the situation at hand. Against the pain in his body, he forced himself up, but fell back over when he tried to stand. "Serena, no!"

Even amongst Serena's fear and the overwhelming pressure and dread from Necrozma's presence, a sliver of courage managed to shine through within the girl's heart. She bit down on her lip, pulled back her fist, and let out one last battle cry, all that she could muster, and shot her fist forward at the dark demon.

And of course, it availed to nothing.

Serena was blown to the ground by an invisible pulse of energy. She landed on her side in a heap. The attack hardly hurt her, but she knew it wasn't meant to. It was to show the staggering difference between their power and to make sure Necrozma could squeeze every last bit of fun out of this situation as he could before he finished her off. Oddly enough, a grin came to Serena's face when she realized something.

Necrozma gave her a questioning look " _ **Hm? Are you trying to go out with a smile as some last-effort act of defiance? It really makes no difference to me-**_ "

"No, that's not it," Serena retorted with a small laugh that confused Necrozma even more, "I just realized something, that's all."

Necrozma looked down at her curiously, intrigued by her meaning. " _ **Oh, and what might that be?**_ "

Serena pointed up at him, "You're extending this as long as you possibly can. You're trying to draw this out! It's because you're getting bored, isn't it?! You're getting bored with conquering and killing, and so you're trying to draw it out as long as you can so can stave off that boredom, aren't you?! Eventually, killing people and destroying worlds will become boring to you, since you've been doing it for so long, but you can't bring yourself to think of what will happen then! When you're bored of your own existence! That's why you're keeping me alive, isn't it?! To keep that boredom away as long as you can?!"

She laughed at him mockingly, taunting him as she believed she had uncovered Necrozma's true motives. She believed he was fearful of his own existence. An immortal life that will eventually experience everything, and then will become pointless. Necrozma looked down upon her blankly, then chuckled darkly.

" _ **...Perhaps...or…**_ " Serena was lifted up by an invisible force with her limbs stretched out. Her throat was shut, cutting off her air supply and making her choke for air. The pressure surrounding her increased a thousand fold, slowly crushing her body by the second, " _ **I simply wanted to extend your suffering as much as possible, so I can break you both mentally and physically before I toss your body into the flames and cast your soul down to hell!**_ "

Necrozma's clutch on Serena's throat lifted, allowing her to scream in agony as her body was slowly crushed bone by bone. It was music to Necrozma's would-be ears. Ash, forced the paralyzing pain of his exhausted body to be silent and leapt to his feet, flaring his Aura which was wavering between cyan and yellow. It was then that the mysterious shadowy figure approached him.

"Who are you?!" Ash asked the figure. As it walked towards the light of the flames, Ash was able to get a glimpse as to what it looked like and gasped. It's body was mostly-comprised of a bluish color scheme with an amphibian-like body. A large, pink tongue surrounded its' neck like a scarf.

"...Greninja…" Ash uttered in disbelief. A grin soon came to the boy's face and he embraced his Pokemon friend in a hug. But, it couldn't last. There were more pressing matters at hand and the both of them knew it. "So, you're finally back, huh?" Greninja grinned back at him and nodded.

"Alright!" Ash cheered, "Then, let's sync up for old time's sake!"

Ash and Greninja closed their eyes. Their minds began to sync with one another until finally, their brain waves became completely identical and Greninja transformed. Black patterns appeared around the sides of Greninja's head, an x-shaped scar appeared on his leg along with a red cross-shaped pattern on his head. Finally, a singular large shuriken made entirely from water manifested on the ninja Pokemon's back. Ash, meanwhile, gained a tremendous surge of Aura as their bond deepened. Their bond allowed their life force to be shared along with their power, and as the two of them clasped their hands together at their sides, their Auras mixed, giving the both of them a new height of power and their bond was stronger than ever.

The two of them pointed at the dark demon holding Serena with a savage set of glares. "Necrozma!" Ash bellowed, "You're done for! Let Serena go!"

Necrozma turned his head over towards the duo, his crimson eye glinting menacingly as the flames of the hell he created reflected through them. " _ **You again? Truly, you have no idea when you're outmatched, do you? But very well. I'll accommodate your demands.**_ " The dark invader let out a chuckle that quickly turned into a mad cackle. Ash's heart dropped as Necrozma hoisted Serena above his head and threw her into the flames. But then, a blur rushed up from the ground and caught her safely. Zero had regained control over her body at last.

"I got her!" Zero reassured Ash, "I'll keep her alive, you just focus on killing _him_!"

Ash nodded to her with a grateful smile. "Thanks, Zero! Don't worry…" His smile faded and he and Greninja stepped forward towards Necrozma with a deathly glare in their eyes. "We'll make him pay…"

Necrozma extended his arms outward, daring him to try. " _ **By all means, boy, I'll be happy to finish the job and send you to meet that bird creature of yours. How pathetically it died, trying to save its' master! I'm sure it will be disappointed in you once it sees you again, knowing that its' sacrifice was useless!**_ "

Ash growled furiously. "His name…" Ash and Greninja flared their raging Auras, sending a cascade of yellow and cyan outward in a raging storm of crackling flames. They raised their arms upward, forming a massive Aura Sphere above their heads… "WAS HAWLUCHA!" and fired it at the demon.

Necrozma backhanded the ball of energy, dispersing it into nothingness. Ash and Greninja rocketed forward from behind the Aura Sphere and shot their fists forward at the invader, but was met with a barrier that impeded their attack. They quickly switched gears and Ash held out his arms so that Greninja could propel himself off of them and land behind Necrozma. Ash summoned an Aura Sphere on one side while Greninja pulled the giant Water Shuriken from his back.

Together, they plunged their attacks forward into Necrozma, who didn't even budge from their attacks. Ash cursed, but remained hopeful. As long as they drew breath, there was still a chance. There was still one, fleeting chance for survival...no...for victory. Even the smallest chance possible was more than enough for them.

"Night Slash!" Ash ordered, concentrating Aura into his arm to mirror the attack. Greninja nodded and charged his own arm with crackling, Dark-Type energy. They leapt backwards, pulled their arms behind them, and rocketed towards Necrozma. Just before they impacted him, Ash pulled left while Greninja pulled right, slicing at Necrozma's sides and pivoting around him so they couldn't be caught in a close range counterattack.

Yet again, their attacks didn't even put a scratch on Necrozma, and he merely crossed his arms to await whatever they could come up next. He chuckled smugly, sure that nothing they could do could harm him. The duo rushed forward, slicing upwards with their attacks this time so that they flew into the air after hitting Necrozma, then turned back down and fired an Aura Sphere and a Water Shuriken down and creating a large patch of smoke as they impacted the dark demon.

Ash and Greninja leapt out of the smoke to see their handiwork. Necrozma dispelled the smoke with but the wave of his hands and rushed towards the two of them. Their bodies instinctively bolted to their sides just in time to avoid a punch from the leader of the Ultra Beasts. Ash looked awed over what he'd just been able to do. "I dodged it!" He utter, his mouth gaping. His surprised look curled upward into a grin, realizing that he might just stand a chance after all.

"All right!" Ash cheered, flipping over in the air to land back onto his feet, "We might just be able to pull this off after all!" Greninja nodded confidently back to Ash, awaiting his next order. It had been so long since they had conjoined their minds that an ecstasy born from the deprivation of that power, combined with the new power of Ash's Aura being shared between them, gave them an entirely new battle sense.

Necrozma turned back around to the two of them with widened, flabbergasted eyes. " _ **What?! That's impossible!**_ " The dark being's shock was quick to turn to fury and he charged a white ball of energy between his fingertips, raising over his head menacingly. " _ **I refuse to believe it! There's no way pathetic cretins like you could dodge my attack!**_ " With a savage cry of rage, Necrozma shot the ball forward towards the two of them. Once again, Ash and Greninja were able to dodge it, allowing it to fly harmlessly into the sky where it disappeared.

Necrozma watched the ball soar into the smoke clouds and disappear with a look of pure horror planted upon his face. " _ **N-no…**_ " He whimpered, shaking his head to try and deny the sight before him, " _ **It's not possible! T-this isn't real—this isn't happening!**_ "

"Oh, it's real alright," Ash said as he and Greninja held out their arms and charged an Aura Sphere and a Water Shuriken between them respectively in sync, "I heard what you told Serena...you conquer countless worlds by the millions, and you call it fun! Well no more! I won't allow _my_ world to meet that same fate! Greninja and I will stop you right here, right now!"

Necrozma's face contorted from fear to rage once more, " _ **So, you want to play hero, boy?! I've slain countless self-styled heroes before, and you will not be the last!**_ " Necrozma took off like a rocket and, before either Greninja or Ash could react, they were caught in a clothesline attack in his arms. They winced, expecting a brutal force to accompany the attack, but were pleasantly surprised to find that they hardly felt any pain at all.

Grinning, the two of them dug their heels into the dirt and were able to stop Necrozma in his tracks. Without giving the dark demon time to react, they hoisted him over their shoulders and hurled him into the sky. Seething, Necrozma righted himself in the air and fired a barrage of lasers from his fingertips down upon the two of them. Thinking quickly, Greninja created another large Water Shuriken and held it over their heads. The lasers pelted their makeshift shield like rain, but were unable to break through.

Greninja and Ash nodded to one another and together they shot the gigantic Water Shuriken up at Necrozma. The Leader of the Ultra Beasts' eyes shot open and he hastened the rate at which he fired, but still, his efforts were useless. The Water Shuriken plunged through Necrozma's lasers as if they were scraps of tin foil. Necrozma let out a terrified scream that was cut off by Ash and Greninja's attack impacting the dark beast, exploding in a cloud of smoke and rain.

Serena awoke to the feeling of water drizzling down upon her face. She opened her eyes and placed a hand to her aching head. Zero was huddled over her, using Heal Pulse to undo the damage of Necrozma. "What happened?" She asked the artificial girl. Zero merely looked up at the rain and smiled. "Ash and that frog Pokemon of his—I believe it was called "Greninja"— are battling Necrozma as we speak, and it appears that they are winning."

"Really?!" Serena's eyes shot open like dinner plates and she attempted to jump back onto her feet. It was too much for her, apparently, and she quickly was forced to sit back down as a headache began ripping at her mind.

"Don't push yourself," Zero told her, "Necrozma didn't do as much damage to you as the rest of us, but you still shouldn't move around too much right now." Serena nodded, laying back down and admiring the makeshift rainfall.

"So, Ash is really doing this then?" Serena asked again, "He's winning?"

"As far as I can tell," Replied Zero, "Yes, he's winning."

"I'm not too sure…"

Zero and Serena turned their gazes towards the source of the voice and found Riley who was staring off in a direction, likely towards wherever Ash and Greninja were battling the dark demon. To his side, Lucario stepped forward as well, taking his place next to his partner as always. In fact, all the other Pokemon had woken up as well and they were stumbling around, clutching the area Necrozma struck them.

"Necrozma...I can't sense his presence at all." He shook his head. "It's similar to that Adam guy from yesterday...but more...unsettling."

"Huh?" Serena asked him, "What do you mean?"

"It's like Necrozma's not alive at all," Riley answered, "With Adam, it's just that his life force was too weak for me to properly sense him...but here...when I try to sense Necrozma, I can't see anything at all. No life force to speak of...but that's not even the worst part."

Riley's lip curled downward into a deep frown. "Since I can't sense Necrozma's Aura, I can't sense his intentions either. I can sense Ash, and while his power right now is indeed surprisingly large…" His vision flashed back to the group's combined attack. Necrozma deflected it easily, and then Riley was taken down with a single punch. "...I don't think Ash is really winning this…"

Necrozma let out a garbled, choked grunt as he fell down to the Earth once more. Trembling, he balled his prismatic hands into fists and pounded the ground in frustration. " _ **Damn it!**_ " He cursed, " _ **How...how can this be happening?! I am Necrozma! The supreme being in the universe! I am he who laid countless civilizations to waste with but the flick of my finger! I should be crushing you like the insect you are!**_ "

Ash stepped forward towards the fallen Necrozma with a confident grin. He and Greninja flared their Aura, which had once again become a cyan blue with only mere remnants of its' yellow form still being apparent. "So, ready to give up yet?" Ash asked him.

Necrozma clawed furiously at the ground and leapt back up into the air. " _ **NEVER!**_ " He raised his hands, pointing his palms skyward. White plasmatic electricity crackled between his fingers like lightning rods and soon, a colossal ball of white energy appeared above them. Bolts of electricity routinely burst from the ball, tearing at the earth beneath it. One of them appeared in front of Ash and Greninja, forcing them to shield their faces.

" _ **Fools!**_ " Boomed Necrozma, " _ **I am invincible! Nothing can possibly harm my indestructible body! I commend you for pushing me this far, but it amounts to nothing in the end! This is all the power I have! NOW DIE!**_ " The black demon roared with fury and hurled the colossal ball of energy down towards the two peons who dared to challenge his conquest.

Greninja and Ash looked apprehensive about the attack coming their way. They turned to one another, but since their minds were linked they already knew what the other was going to say anyways. They grinned at each other, bumped their fists together and leapt up at the ball of energy with their own. Their swirling Aura met with the overwhelming raw power of Necrozma's full might, sending an array of sparks flying in every direction.

The duo of Man and Pokemon grunted upon impact and winced. The energy burned at their skin by simply being near them, so every second they remained in contact with the ball of energy was excruciating. Yet still, they pushed forward. They had already lost one friend, and who knows how many people died to this monster with what he's done to the Orange Islands and the burned town they were currently fighting in.

"This cannot continue, Necrozma!" Ash roared, "I won't let it!"

With all of their combined might, Ash and Greninja managed to plunge into the ball of energy. Seeing this, Necrozma's eyes widened in fear for a moment, but he pushed even more power into the ball. Ash and Greninja flinched for a moment, but ultimately, they were able to withstand the increase in the ball's power and retorted with their own. Digging deep inside themselves, Ash and Greninja unleashed every last ounce of their power and completely tore through the ball, sending its' energy blasting off into every direction in an array of white streaks.

The demon who had been the bane of entire galaxies, the monster who had wiped out entire civilizations for his own amusement, Necrozma, who had ruled the universe for millions of years and tormented all who lived in it for the entirety of that time without a care in the world now looked absolutely horrified as he watched the last of his power be blown away into cinders by a mere child and a frog. He couldn't even bring out any words anymore. He was at a complete loss.

From behind one of the white streaks trailing up into the sky, Ash and Greninja appeared with a final attack of their own. With their hands held to the sky, Aura and Water mixed together, spinning around in circles like a razor blade. The combination attack sent small, white little glowing orbs of dewdrop spinning around the attack like lightning-bugs. A warbled sound resembling a bell and a spinning metal emanated from the attack.

Without thinking twice, Necrozma rushed to the ground on his hands and knees, bowing to Ash and Greninja as a last-ditch attempt for survival. " _ **Please! Don't kill me! Please, I'll do anything! I'll quit my wicked ways! I'll leave this planet forever! I swear, I'll never harm another soul ever again! Please, just spare my life!**_ "

The response he received was the razor blade of Aura and Water becoming larger, causing him to shriek in fear. "As if I would believe that! The likes of you would stab us in the back the moment we showed mercy, and speaking of mercy, when was the last time _you_ ever showed it to anyone?! This is the end, Necrozma! Aura-Shuriken!"

Ash and Greninja launched the attack downward at the fallen demon, who scarcely got the chance to scream before he was overtaken by the attack completely, disappearing into the swirling light. A colossal explosion ensued, but it was one of water and light, not fire. As Ash and Greninja fell back down to the ground amidst the glowing rain, they reveled proudly in their thoughts.

"We won…" Ash announced. Greninja nodded back to him. As they made contact with the ground, their Aura dispersed and Greninja was reverted back into his original form, making them collapse onto their knees in exhaustion that had just now caught up to them now that their job was finished at last. Ash's ears perked and he turned to his left. Serena and the others were running toward them.

Ash gave them a smile held back slightly by his fatigue and he raised his hand to show them that they were victorious at last. Relief overcame the oncoming group and they couldn't help but allow bright big grins to occupy their expressions. Serena clobbered Ash in an embrace, squeezing him tightly while Greninja stared blankly at them. Pikachu came over, patting him on the back.

"Thank Arceus you're alright!" Serena exclaimed, "I don't know what I would have done if you…"

Ash laughed, embracing her as well and patting her hair to reconcile her, "Hey, it's alright! We won!"

Serena lightly pounded her fist on Ash's shoulder, "Don't laugh! I was worried about you...but…" She pulled her head away from Ash's to stare him in the eye. Her own were shimmering, threatening happy tears, "...You're right. You won...and we're all still alive…!"

Ash's smile disappeared and he took out Hawlucha's Pokeball. Noivern flew down beside him and, seeing the Pokeball, began to weep for his fallen friend and mentor. Ever since Noivern had first been born into this world, Hawlucha was by his side. Hawlucha was his mentor, his secondary trainer and, most importantly of all, the first friend he had ever had. Every step Noivern had taken, Hawlucha had taken another right beside him. Without him, Noivern didn't know what to do but weep. Ash allowed his own tears to flow for him as well, putting a compassionate and knowing hand on Noivern's wing.

"...Not everyone…"

The rest of the Pokemon gathered around Ash and Noivern. As they noticed that Hawlucha was not among their ranks along with the reactions of Ash and Noivern, they realized what the Pokeball signified and hung their heads. The Pokemon Ash had ventured with through Kalos were hit pretty hard by the loss, and pretty soon, they began to weep for their fallen comrade as well, moving through the rest of the crowd to embrace Ash and Noivern together.

Serena's gaze became sorrowful as well. As someone who had also journeyed alongside Ash and, by extension, Hawlucha, the loss of the Pokemon was painful to say the least. "Oh, Ash.."

Riley and Lucario gazed upon the sorrowful scene with hardened faces. It wasn't to say that they didn't care. Of course they cared. Their very purpose was to protect all Pokemon, and to have failed to save a Pokemon of their friend made their hearts ache. For now, though, they had more pressing issues.

' _Is he well and truly gone?'_ Lucario asked Riley.

' _If you don't know, then your guess is as good as mine,_ ' Replied Riley, ' _Of course, neither of us can sense Necrozma either way, so we'll have no way of knowing._ '

Lucario narrowed his eyes, ' _Until he reappears and kills us all instantly, that is. You and I both know he went down far too easily. Go tell the others about this.'_

Riley shook his head, ' _Look at them. I can't tell them their efforts were likely for nothing right now!'_

' _They'll look worse dead,_ ' Lucario shot back, ' _Now go, tell them we need to leave!_ '

Riley rolled his head and sighed, ' _You're right. All right, I'll tell them._ '

"Hey Ash!" Riley called over, "It's still not safe here-"

He was cut off by a sudden violent tremor in the ground that nearly made him tip over. The others, however, weren't quite as lucky. The tremor completely knocked them off of their feet, causing them to collapse on top of one another.

"What the?!" Exclaimed Ash.

"What's happening?!" Screamed Serena.

The very ground beneath their feet began to crumble away, falling into a seemingly-endless void and leaving the group standing on one, singular platform surrounded by nothing. Their platform was dislodged from the ground with a jolt that made them stagger and was dragged up into the dark, smoke-filled sky, accompanied by a dark laughter all too familiar with them.

Ash's pupils shrank in fear and a wave of choking dread worse than the smoke surrounding them came over him once more. A pulse of wind blew the smoke backwards, making it spiral around the flying platform, and out from the smoke came Necrozma, staring down at Ash in amusement.

" _ **What do you say, boy? My acting skills are impeccable, are they not?**_ "

Ash clenched his teeth and hands to the point his fingers dug into his hands. "YOU!" He roared furiously, "How are you still alive?! I watched you disappear!"

" _ **A mere teleportation trick**_ ," Necrozma told him, wagging his finger around in a circle to further show his point, " _ **Come now, you didn't honestly believe you could have killed me, did you?**_ " Before Ash could retort, Necrozma disappeared and reappeared in front of him, grabbed him by the throat and flew up above the others. " _ **You are nothing.**_ "

"ASH, NO!" Serena screamed, reaching out uselessly at him as he was dragged above. A few Pokemon began charging attacks to fire at Necrozma to free him, but Greninja quickly stopped them, telling them that they would hit Ash as well. The begrudgingly halted their attacks, scowling helplessly. Noivern, however, was not persuaded so easily. After the death of his closest friend, he was not about to let the man who raised him alongside Hawlucha die as well.

With a savage screech, Noivern rocketed up at Necrozma and shot open his jaw to try and clamp down on Necrozma's arm. What exactly it would do to the monster that killed his best friend didn't concern him. The only thoughts in Noivern's mind were to free his friend and kill this bastard. As he came in for the attack, he bounced off a barrier that Necrozma had created. Noivern roared savagely once more and blasted at the barrier with a Dragon Pulse attack. Without moving, Necrozma turned his eyes towards Noivern and batted him back to the ground with an invisible pulse of energy. " _ **Sit down, pet. I'll kill you in a moment**_."

He turned his cruel gaze back upon the boy he had between his fingertips. " _ **As for you…**_ " He increased his grip slightly, but it was enough to slowly choke the life out of Ash, making him squirm uselessly in Necrozma's grasp. " _ **You couldn't have honestly believed you had even the slightest chance against me, did you? If so, either my acting skills are better than I thought, or you're a bigger imbecile than I could have imagined. I'm thinking the latter option.**_ "

Ash tried to glare at him as some sign of resistance, but his fear betrayed his anger. Instead of the defiant glare Ash intended, he gave Necrozma some kind of one-eyed cringing look.

" _ **Hmph. Your attempts at rebellion are pitiful. Merely holding you in my grasp disgusts me more than words can describe. Still, you did manage to impress me. When I pulled out the old begging-for-my-life card, these 'heroes' usually fall for it, leaving me the perfect opportunity to stab them in the back.**_ " He laughed, loosening his grip on Ash's throat slightly. " _ **But not you! No, you took the opportunity and used it to its' fullest, finishing me off when I was weak and vulnerable! I love it! So, because you were so entertaining, I'll allow you to die with your friends.**_ " He dropped Ash from his grasp, eliciting a gasp from Serena. Sceptile quickly hopped off the ground and caught him, but to describe him as safe would be inaccurate to say the least. Necrozma floated down towards them, but instead of engaging them, he floated back towards the edge of the platform and put his finger into the black cyclone of smoke surrounding them. Immediately, the smoke lit up and bright orange flames took their place, spiraling around the group.

Ash and the others gaped up in horror, and the realization that their possible escape route had disappeared terrified them. Their only option now was to stand and face Necrozma, but the moment they did, the were blasted by another invisible pulse of energy and sent sprawling onto their backs. " _ **Your time has run out**_ ," Necrozma announced. He snapped his fingers, and the fiery cyclone began to close in gradually, destroying the parts of the platform it made contact with. Serena backed up towards the center, marginally escaping having her foot be consumed by the flames. The others steadily followed suit, but they were running out of room and fast. Zero took it upon herself to leap up at Necrozma with a Night Slash attack, but was quickly batted back down onto the platform by a halfhearted backhand from him.

" _ **Your resistance means nothing. You should feel lucky that I am allowing you all to die with one another instead of casting you into the fire one by one.**_ "

Ash rushed to his feet and was met with another invisible pulse of energy. Yet, he was able to stand his ground this time, or at least not fall back down. Another pulse hit him, forcing him to bend his knees. He winced, baring his teeth but not falling. He raised his arm up at Necrozma and fired a weak, one-handed Aura Sphere that barely had any form to it. Of course, it was dispersed by him immediately. Ash was hit with a third pulse that nearly forced him to the ground, yet he remained standing. He was hit with a fourth. Then a fifth, and a sixth and a seventh. More and more of them assaulted Ash by the second, and each one forced him closer and closer to the ground. Even he didn't know what he was trying to accomplish. Some kind of last-minute act of rebellion, and it was going about as successfully as the other ones did. Ash was finally forced to his knees and he faced towards the ground, his hat shadowing his eyes.

The Pokemon shut their eyes, awaiting the end. Zero summoned a Protect around them, but the flames swirling around them at impossibly-high speeds shredded her barrier to pieces like paper. She tried another one, holding it together with all of her might. Still, it meant nothing. The barrier, even though it remained there, was forced to close in as the swirling fire did. Riley and Lucario bowed their head and accepted failure. Serena grabbed hold of Ash in a tight hug and closed her eyes. Pikachu hopped into Ash's lap and closed his eyes as well. Ash didn't move, didn't speak, didn't even think. He knelt to Necrozma's unbreakable power and awaited the end.

" _ **Farewell, Earth-dwellers**_."

Necrozma clasped his hand shut, ushering the flaming cyclone to close in as well.

Then, a golden ray appeared that completely eradicated the flames, letting the sun appear once more to shine upon the land Necrozma reduced to cinders. The group shielded their eyes from the light. As the ray faded, Arceus appeared in its' place, surrounded by a stream of golden-white energy that bounced around Arceus's body like a solar flare would with its' star.

"I should have come here after all," He spoke, turning down to face Ash, "You did well to last so long against him, but this is my battle now." Before Ash and the others could reply, they were surrounded by a white glow and whisked away into the sky. He turned back towards the black demon with a glare that practically seeped with unending fury. "As for you…"

Necrozma would have been smirking down at the God of Pokemon if he had the facial structure for it. " _ **This day is a gift that really does just keep on giving, isn't it? After the fodder comes the father.**_ " The invader floated down to meet Arceus face to face, extending his arms outward as if he was inviting in a guest. " _ **Why, hello again, Arceus! I hadn't expected to see you again until my grand arrival at Goldenrod City!**_ "

"There will be no grand arrival," Hissed Arceus, "For your reign ends here and now! You've taken more than enough lives!"

" _ **Hmph**_ ," Remarked Necrozma with a shrug, " _ **Quite frankly, I beg to differ.**_ _**I've been keeping my reign quite strong for the past few million years, my good friend, and I'm quite intent on keeping it going.**_ "

"That is not for you to decide!" Arceus stamped down upon the air beneath him, sending a golden pulse of energy dashing across the skies. "For the lives you have taken, Necrozma, I, Arceus, will personally make you face my Judgement!"

Necrozma chuckled and crossed his arms arrogantly. If this false god wanted action, then he would be happy to oblige. " _ **Not for me to decide? I tire of being told the same things over and over again. Every time someone has told me that, I planted their corpse headfirst into the ground. Tell me, Arceus: You could not defeat me or even scratch me the last time we clashed. What makes you so confident in your abilities now?**_ "

"You fled," Arceus taunted, "Had you stayed around, I would have smited your wretched soul!"

" _ **Big talk, coming from the guy who outright admitted you had no chance against me**_ ," Necrozma retorted.

Arceus faltered for a brief moment, but was quick to regain his composure. "What madness do you speak of?! I recall saying nothing of the sort, seeing how blatantly untrue that statement is!"

" _ **You're a terrible liar**_ ," Necrozma said, tapping the side of his head with his index finger, " _ **I can read minds, remember? I see your every thought, action and memory. I even saw that adorable little moment you had with your sons! When five days passes, I'll be sure to-**_ "

"You will do _NOTHING!_ " Arceus flared his divine, golden Aura, sending wave after wave of white and gold bursts of energy off in every direction. The clouds surrounding the two of them were completely obliterated by the assaulting force, but Necrozma was completely unperturbed. "I told you, Necrozma, your end has come! For the lives you have stolen...for the children of mine that you slayed..!" Arceus' fury-filled crimson eyes met with Necrozma's amused gaze. "I have judged you, and sentenced you to death!"

" _ **...Very well…**_ " Necrozma uncrossed his arms. " _ **I was planning on saving your death for the grand war I had in store in five days' time, but if you're so persistent on dying, who am I to deny you?**_ "

With a singular finger, Necrozma summoned a colossal ball of crackling red plasma above his head. In mere seconds, it blotted out the sky. He pointed down towards Arceus and the ball followed his command, racing towards the Alpha Pokemon. The mere presence of the ball sent the land below into chaos. The platform Ash and the others were standing on previously was destroyed by the force of the wind alone, and what was left of the town was completely flattened.

Arceus closed his eyes to concentrate for a moment, and the golden ring surrounding his abdomen turned into a dark purple color. He raced towards the ball, surrounding himself in a golden-purple hue, and shot forward an array of arrows that tore the orb to pieces and surrounded Necrozma.

"Don't think you can use the same trick as before on me again!" Arceus bellowed, "I WILL NOT ALLOW YOU TO ESCAPE!" The purple arrows plunged into Necrozma by the thousands. A series of violent explosions ensued with each arrow, but from inside the fiery cloud, a storm of white lasers emerged that destroyed the arrows.

A black prismatic hand dispelled the accompanying cloud of smoke, revealing Necrozma to be completely unharmed. " _ **Useless**_." Arceus scowled and changed forms again, making his ring become a bright yellow. Waves of plasmatic electricity were unleashed from Arceus' body and tore after Necrozma, who soared away from them. The black demon swerved and spun around each electric wave, deftly dodging them with ease and chuckling all the while.

Necrozma dipped down towards the ground below, ushering the electric pulses honing in on him to follow him. Just before each one attempted to strike him, he sidestepped through the air, causing a chain of explosions as he flew just above the ground. He lurched up towards Arceus' underside with the remaining electric pulses in tow close behind and pulled back his fist. In turn, Arceus created a barrier around himself to block the incoming attack, but just as the dark demon was about to plant his fist into the shield, he phased through it and Arceus' own attack that was chasing Necrozma ended up crashing violently into himself.

" _ **Come on, that's the oldest trick in the book!**_ " Necrozma taunted with an accompanying laugh. Though, as the smoke around Arceus cleared away, he was revealed to be completely unharmed and sporting a new, light-brown ring in place of the yellow one. " _ **Oh…?**_ " An intrigued Necrozma spoke, " _ **So you have some backbone after all.**_ "

Arceus flicked back his head to rid it of the dust from the smoke. "Come now, Necrozma. Did you truly believe I could be harmed by my own attacks?"

" _ **Fair enough. Now, back to it then…**_ "

Necrozma blitzed at Arceus and blasted a savage punch into the Alpha Pokemon's face, but to his genuine surprise, Arceus withstood the attack and stood his ground. From Arceus' forehead came five orange lasers that closed around into Necrozma and merged into one, swallowing the dark demon up in its' grasp and sending him flying into the sky. Necrozma burst out of the side of the laser, staring up at it as it sailed into the atmosphere, and then back down to Arceus with a look Arceus could only describe as some kind of warped euphoria.

" _ **You sly old dog, you actually managed to catch me off guard for a second!**_ "

Arceus neglected to respond, instead opting to change his ring to a bright red color. Pillars of flame erupted around himself, swirling around him and warping into the shape of a ball. With a roar, Arceus shot the ball forward up at Necrozma, who backhanded it in response. Or at least, he tried to. Right before the ball collided with him, it split apart into several smaller orbs, closed itself around Necrozma and exploded violently.

Necrozma burst outward from the explosion and raced down at Arceus with his fist pulled back. Arceus's ring switched to a light purple color and, to Necrozma's surprise, was able to dodge the attack. When Necrozma tried to scan Arceus' mind to find out how he had done this, he encountered tremendous resistance and found himself unable to do so. He couldn't help but laugh at the whole situation.

"And just what is so funny about this?!" Demanded Arceus.

" _ **I'm impressed is all**_ ," Necrozma replied, " _ **I haven't fought like this in thousands of years! But now, I'm turning up the heat, so try not to disappoint me!**_ "

Necrozma flexed his arms, and the crystals protruding from them flashed red for a split second. Before Arceus could blink, Necrozma raced up at him and delivered a punch to Arceus's face that sent him spiraling through the air. In turn, Arceus righted himself and fired a Hyper Beam at Necrozma, who barrel-rolled out of harm's way, flying up at the Alpha Pokemon and hurling another punch his way that sent him careening into the sky.

Arceus growled in frustration, turned his ring back to its' original gold color, and charged down towards Necrozma. Necrozma's arm-crystal flashed red for a split second once more while Arceus' gold Aura intensified to the point a barrier had formed around him. Their clash was nigh-cataclysmic, sending waves of energy tearing through the sky. The ground far below them was being torn apart by the winds that ensued from the force of their clash. Around the dueling gods, flares of violent flames and plasma burst from them and swirled around them, destroying the very oxygen itself around them.

" _ **That's right, Arceus! Show me the full extent of your might!**_ "

" _I'LL SCATTER YOUR REMAINS DOWN TO THE LAST ATOM!_ "

The two deities were forced back as their colliding forces became unstable, but they quickly engaged one another once more. Necrozma shot yet another punch at Arceus while the Alpha Pokemon surrounded itself in a golden light and clashed into his adversary. They swerved around in the air, colliding briefly with one another time after time as they raced back towards the ground below.

The two of them impacted the land, blasting up an enormous wave of dust and rock into the air, which they quickly burst out of, blitzing around one another and sending sparks up as they impacted each other at speeds faster than sight could perceive. Necrozma shot a small white laser from his palms towards Arceus, which he dispelled with the mere flick of his head. The God of all Pokemon, in turn, fired an array of Hyper Beams from thin air around himself.

The dark demon lurched forward, using his large arm as a shield as he plunged through the lasers and delivered a sharp uppercut into Arceus' neck, making him lurch over for a short moment. That short moment was all Necrozma needed to follow up, and he pumped back both of his fists. His crystals sparked red for a split second, and before Arceus could move he was assaulted at every angle by a flurry of punches from Necrozma.

Even as the deity Pokemon felt pieces of his body start to shatter with each punch, he refused to show weakness to this monster that had taken the lives of so many. His eyes glinted for but a flash in time, and from Arceus' body came an overwhelmingly-massive golden blast. Every angle around Arceus was consumed in an instant. Trees were atomized, the ground was disintegrated, the sky for miles became blindingly bright, as if a secondary sun had just been born upon Earth. Necrozma was overtaken by the blast and he tried to shield himself with his arms to stand his ground.

" _ **You're pretty good, Arceus**_ ," He commended, " _ **But I, Necrozma, have no equal!**_ "

Necrozma shot his arms out to his side, splitting the colossal golden wave in twain and sending' the blast of energy flying past him on either side, exposing Arceus. Necrozma cracked his neck, chuckled darkly and rocketed towards Arceus, delivering a devastating downward blow with both of the demon's hands clasped together. The golden, all-consuming wave was cut off by the skull-shattering attack and the ground beneath the two of them warped like a disturbed liquid.

A sea of dirt and rock erupted up from the ground around the two dueling gods for over a mile on all sides, sending it skyward. Arceus shook his head to rid himself of the dizziness Necrozma's blow had dealt him, along with a throbbing headache. From his perspective, he was in the middle of a void where chunks of rock blotted out almost all light as it was sent careening into the atmosphere around them. Somehow, even more rage erupted from within him than before. The land would never be the same after this. Whatever was left of New Bark Town was flying above him as nothing more than chunks of wood and metal.

"NECROZMA!" Bellowed the deity.

As if on cue, Necrozma rushed down at him from below, with only the crystals on his arm to indicate his presence amidst the darkness. Arceus fired a golden, swirling beam of light from the tip of his forehead up at Necrozma, managing to stop him in his tracks for a moment until the black beast pushed forward, making the beam curl outward. Arceus roared, pushing his power to its' absolute limit. The golden beam overtook Necrozma completely, but he jumped out of the attack and blitzed down towards his adversary.

Their momentary impact caused a ripple in the rising pillar of stone surrounding them, and they quickly pushed off one another. Necrozma lit up the tip of his finger and sliced through the air, causing a horizontal laser to rush towards Arceus. In response, Arceus summoned a barrier and plunged straight through the oncoming attack and into Necrozma. To the white deity's shock, Necrozma caught Arceus's barrier and pressed into it with his claws until it burst, leaving the Alpha Pokemon completely defenseless to Necrozma's next attack.

Necrozma caught Arceus by the throat, to which Arceus unleashed a barrage of white arrows into him. Yet, it availed to nothing. Necrozma held Arceus in a griplock and placed his free hand to Arceus' face. A crimson light blasted out from the column of stone, making them drop back down to the ground in a hailstorm of meteors. Arceus flew out from the falling stones and impacted the ground nearby on his side. He winced in pain. Necrozma's attack had left a ghastly burn mark on the side of his face, blackening a small portion of it. Necrozma, meanwhile, appeared before him without a single scratch.

Arceus' rage boiled over and he roared, sending out a burst of golden energy that atomized the surrounding area completely. The deity Pokemon tore out of the golden attack with Necrozma in hot pursuit. Arceus fired a ball of white energy down towards his pursuer, to which Necrozma backhanded and dispelled the concentrated energy without effort, barreling into Arceus with a violent boom. Frustration began to make Arceus' blood boil and he blasted out a small golden pulse to distance himself from Necrozma.

The demon brought his arm up to block the incoming attack with ease and cackled as he tore forwards towards Arceus once more. Arceus raised his head skyward, shooting a ball of light into the sky and then quickly bringing his head downward, causing a pillar of light to shoot down from the heavens and collide with Necrozma. The dark demon was blasted downward, but quickly destroyed the laser with a pulse of his own energy and raced back up to Arceus again. His chilling laughter hadn't faded in the slightest amidst this.

Necrozma barreled into Arceus' stomach, making him double over in pain, and grabbed onto his hind legs. He began spinning Arceus around, then hurled him up farther into the sky. Quickly chasing after his adversary, Necrozma blitzed up towards him with a punch, to which Arceus, thinking quickly, used the spinning to his advantage and fired a golden laser that blasted into Necrozma's side, impeding his onslaught.

Arceus righted himself, shook off the mild dizziness, and summoned his power to the center of Arceus' forehead. Arceus began drawing power from everything around himself, turning the very molecules surrounding them into energy for his use, and fired an enormous white laser down at Necrozma that sent him careening down into the ground. Arceus winced, as the fight was beginning to wear him down, but still, he pushed on. He roared mightily and summoned as much power as he could to finally smite the demon before him.

"YOU'RE FINISHED, NECROZMA!" Arceus bellowed, "THIS IS THE FULL EXTENT OF MY POWER! TASTE MY JUDGEMENT!"

Arceus dug deep within himself, summoning a level of power he couldn't remember ever needing to use. The golden beam intensified, sending the land around it for miles blasting backward. The trees were incinerated. The rocks were turned to dust. Nothing of this world could withstand the full might of Arceus' power, yet still, he used even more. Alongside the golden laser came a mass of shimmering white arrows that swirled down around the divine attack.

Arceus utilized every last inch of power within himself to blast down fiery divine wrath upon Necrozma and everything surrounding him. Necrozma, who had destroyed the lives of thousands of his children and countless more across the universe. He who desecrated the lives of the Legends and everything they stood for, using him as his twisted plaything. It could not continue. Arceus would not let it!

" _HRRRRRAAAAUUUUUUUGGGHH!_ "

Arceus' final attack was intensified even further, turning the sky itself into a blinding golden hue. Then, finally, it began to waver as Arceus' power was drawn to its' last. The brilliant golden beam closed in on itself and slowly faded away until, finally, it had died down completely and left what was left of the land in a state of silence.

Arceus nearly fell from exhaustion, but managed to keep himself airborne. He panted heavily for air, exhaustion seeping its' way into every inch of his body. He dared to open his eyes and witnessed the sheer level of destruction he'd caused. Luckily, he had the insight to teleport every living creature, barring plants, far away from the area. Yet even still, he felt a pang of guilt at the destruction. It reminded him far too much of what was left of Mewtwo's home after Rayquaza had dueled Necrozma on his own. Alongside the guilt, he felt a shred of relief and even pride. Though it had been costly, and New Bark Town along with its' surroundings would not be repaired for thousands or even millions of years, stopping Necrozma was a price well worth the toll.

"At last…" Rasped Arceus, "He...is defeated… I had enough power to defeat him after all…" Of course, the Legends might not be quite as happy to hear about the toll, and the remaining denizens of New Bark Town would be left in chaos, leaving Necrozma alive would have been far more costly. The destruction of a town, a forest and a few mountains was a fair price to pay in comparison to Necrozma destroying the world.

" _ **Arceus...I hadn't pegged you for a fool**_."

Arceus's eyes shot open in horror. "No...no, this cannot be!" From the crater he'd left with his final attack, Necrozma rose back up with a smug look upon his features. What's more, he was completely and utterly left without a scratch. Not a single modicum of damage was apparent on Necrozma's prismatic body.

"How?!" Demanded Arceus, "How are you still alive?!"

" _ **It's quite simple really**_ ," Necrozma answered with a small chuckle, " _ **You are not weak, that much I concede. You alone have given me a better fight than entire planet's worth of people attacking me at once have. But…**_ " Arceus became immobilized in Necrozma's telekinetic grip, eliciting a choked cry of protest from the god-like Pokemon. " _ **...This body cannot be killed, nor even harmed. I am completely, utterly invincible. You never stood a chance against me to begin with, nor does anyone or anything.**_ "

"N-no!" Stammered Arceus. He tried to break free from Necrozma's grasp, but no matter how much energy he summoned, he was unable to do so, and could only choke pathetically, "I...cannot allow...you to live! You've hurt...so many! Killed...so many! It...must stop! I cannot allow more...to fall to you…!"

Necrozma scoffed. " _ **Spare me the speech. What, are you going to avenge them? Protect them? You cannot even protect yourself. Not to mention, you've already failed them before this duel.**_ "

"W-what…" Arceus coughed, "Do..you mean?!"

" _ **I'm sure you recall the trio that called themselves the Swords of Justice. As I dueled with them...well**_ ," He couldn't help but chuckle as he began to retell the tale of the trio's demise by his hand, " _ **They had such confidence in you. The told me over and over that you would save them, yet where were you? While they boasted proudly about how their precious Lord Arceus would come to save the day, you were nowhere to be found. As I fought them, you were nowhere to be found. When I killed them, even in death as they claimed you would come to smite me...you were nowhere to be found. You cannot avenge the dead, nor can you protect the living.**_ "

Necrozma's words stung Arceus badly, making him flinch as if he was in physical pain. "You are right...to an extent…"

" _ **Oh? Pray tell, to an extent of what?**_ "

"You are right to say that I have failed my world," Arceus conceded, "I have failed the people of the Orange Islands...I have failed Lugia and the Elemental Birds...I have failed Mewtwo by allowing his home to be destroyed and forcing Rayquaza to fight a battle he had no chance of winning...you are right about these things."

The golden ring attached to Arceus' abdomen turned a light purple and, with the last of Arceus's fleeting power he pushed outward against Necrozma's grasp. "I have failed the Swords of Justice...and I am unworthy of their praise...I have failed Keldeo, dooming him to a life without a family...and I have failed the citizens of New Bark Town...but even still-!" Arceus roared, blasting outward with every shred of energy still within his body and freeing himself of Necrozma's telekinetic grasp. " _BUT I WILL FAIL THEM NO MORE! YOU WILL TAKE NO MORE LIVES, NECROZMA! NOT WHILE I STILL DRAW BREATH! AS THE GOD OF THIS WORLD, I WILL NOT ALLOW ANY MORE OF MY CHILDREN TO FALL TO YOU!_ "

Arceus charged at the foul dark demon, but was promptly backhanded away, jutting the edge of Necrozma's arm crystal into Arceus's face and sending him careening through the air. The Leader of the Ultra Beasts then motioned towards himself with his index finger and Arceus, caught once more in his grasp, was ushered back to Necrozma where he hung limply.

" _ **God?**_ " Necrozma mocked, " _ **Many beings called themselves that before, and they all fell before me.**_ " His hand began sparking and he lifted it up to Arceus' face. " _ **You are no different. If a God truly exists, I have yet to see it. You are no God. You are naught but a fool with 'God' as a self-titled moniker.**_ "

To Necrozma's confusion, Arceus merely laughed. "You truly know nothing, Necrozma!"

" _ **What do you mean by that?**_ "

"I am no false, self-titled God. It was a title given to me by a force far more powerful than I, and he is coming!" He laughed once more. "Your actions have angered a force beyond me! Beyond you! Beyond anything and everything!"

Necrozma chuckled amusedly. " _ **And here come the delusional threats of the dying.**_ "

Arceus scoffed. "Delusions? No, this is very real indeed. Tell me, do you recall your duel with Rayquaza?"

Necrozma shrugged. " _ **The green serpent? Yes, I recall disposing of him rather easily. What is your point?**_ "

"Do you recall him being coated in a brilliant white sheen?"

" _ **Hmm**_ ," Mused Necrozma, placing two fingers beneath his eyes in thought, " _ **Yes, I do recall that he seemed to undergo a fairly substantial power boost for a brief moment. He even managed to take off a tiny shard of my crystals, though those break and regenerate from time to time anyways. What, was that some kind of parlor trick of yours or his?**_ "

"Neither," Arceus told him, "That was the act of an incomprehensibly-powerful being. For it to actually intervene now...you truly must have angered it, Necrozma…"

At first, Necrozma scoffed at the idea, believing it to be nothing more than empty threats of a dying creature. Then, he entertained the thought, mulling it over within his mind. If this being truly did exist, then Necrozma might have an actual battle, or at least some resistance to make his conquest of this planet more interesting. So, he released his hold on Arceus, who had to catch himself to stop his descent.

" _ **Very well**_ ," Necrozma spoke, " _ **I was going to destroy this planet, seeing as I've already defeated you, but you've managed to peak my interest. You've bought yourself five days to amass your forces as per my initial plan. Though, should this 'being' of yours fail to arrive, well...let's just say your deaths will be far from swift**_."

With those chilling words, Necrozma shot off into the sky, soaring into the great beyond. Arceus heaved out an exhausted breath with a cold sweat running down his neck. He'd succeeded in staving off Necrozma for now, but as to whether he could uphold his promise, even he didn't know. That being...was unpredictable. With how it aided Rayquaza, it could very well be on their side, but he had no way of truly knowing. He practically bluffed his way out of the world's destruction. For now.

He shook his head to clear his mind. These were thoughts best saved for a later date. For now, he had a group of very confused and startled people awaiting him. As he was about to open a portal to their destination, he noticed something about himself. Impact wounds dotted his body, and half of his face was still burnt. Appearing to the humans like this might be...alarming, to say the least. Nevertheless, they deserved an explanation, and an explanation is what he would give them. Even if his visage wasn't exactly at...maximum capacity.

The Alpha Pokemon opened a golden portal and flew through it. His destination was the abandoned Goldenrod City, where he had transported the humans of New Bark Town, their Pokemon and the wild Pokemon that would have gotten dragged into his battle against Necrozma. Though he hardly received a welcoming committee. Beneath him, the wild Pokemon seemed to have become startled and agitated from their sudden removal from their homes and were rushing about, causing havoc in their wake amidst the darkening lands as the stygian night began to take over the day. The humans, meanwhile, were using their own Pokemon to try and calm them, or at least stop them.

Arceus descended to the ground, raised his leg and tapped the ground. A small, golden wave of energy shot out along the ground, catching the attention of everyone within the vicinity. The wild and Trained Pokemon knelt down the second they saw their creator, while the humans were a bit slow on the uptake. Riley and Lucario were the first to kneel among any of them while the others merely stared at Arceus with awed expressions. Ash, meanwhile, walked right on up to the Alpha Pokemon as if he was greeting an old friend.

"Yo, Arceus!" Ash called out to him with a wave of his hand, "How've you been? Thanks for saving us back at the-"

Riley and Lucario scrambled up to Ash and forced him onto his knees in a mad panic.

"YOU CAN'T JUST CASUALLY WALK UP TO ARCEUS LIKE THAT!" He smacked Ash upside the head, causing the younger boy to cry out and put a hand to the stricken area, "DO YOU NOT KNOW HOW DISRESPECTFUL THAT IS?! HE SAVED OUR LIVES, GRACED US WITH HIS DIVINE PRESENCE AND _THAT'S_ HOW YOU THANK HIM?!"

"Ow!" Ash exclaimed, rubbing his now-throbbing head, "What's the big idea?!"

"THE BIG IDEA?!" Shrieked Riley, "YOU'RE TALKING TO OUR CREATOR AS IF HE WAS AN OLD FRIEND!"

Arceus laughed at the exchange, garnering the attention of the three of them. "I thank you, Aura Guardians. Your reverence towards me is appreciated, but please, if you would kindly get off of my Chosen One, he and I have much to speak about."

Riley's and Lucario's eyes shot open as wide as platters, looked between Ash and the deity Pokemon, and, swift as a blur, the two of them knelt down onto their hands and knees. "WE'RE TERRIBLY SORRY, LORD ARCEUS."

"It is of no consequence," Arceus told them, waving them off, "Now, as for you, Ash, you and I have much to speak about."

Nodding, Ash got back up onto his feet. "Right. So, did you defeat Necrozma?"

To the shock and horror of all the onlookers, Arceus shook his head. "No...I was unable to defeat him, but I've bought us some time. By the way, you all appear to be well. It's surprising that Necrozma didn't end up doing worse."

Ash nodded, smiling brightly up to the divine Pokemon. "Yeah, we're fine. If you hadn't gotten there when you did, we would have been toast…" His smile then faded, "But...not all of us got out. One of my Pokemon, Hawlucha...:" Ash's face contorted with rage and sorrow, and he clenched his fists tightly. "Hawlucha...didn't make it…" He turned back and motioned to the surviving citizens of New Bark Town. There were only about a dozen left. "They probably lost a lot of people and Pokemon too…"

"...I am deeply sorry for your loss, Ash," Arceus spoke, bowing his head to him and the others, "Truly, I am...if I had only gotten there faster...then maybe I could have saved more…"

"...personally, I'm just glad you came to save us at all," Ash admitted, summoning his now-cyan Aura and recalling the brief moment it was yellow, "...Without you, we would have all died."

"Had I acted as guardian deity of Earth like I was supposed to, no one would have."

A youngish female trainer stepped forward. "That's okay!" She said, "You can just bring back everyone, right?"

Arceus solemnly shook his head. "Had I that kind of power, your loved ones would have already returned...I can create life, but once a soul is lost, it is lost forever. Even if I created replacements of your loved ones...they would not be the same. They would have to be reborn again, and grow up again, but this time they would be born by different parents into different families, thus growing up into a different person entirely. There would be no point."

The girl's face paled and she looked down towards the ground, stepping back away from the Alpha Pokemon. "O-oh, that's o-okay," She stammered, "I-it's fine...I-I'm just glad the...r-rest of us survived…" Arceus could tell she was lying. Tears began to well up in her eyes more and more with every passing second and she was trying and failing to hold it back. It was as if she was grieving over her losses twice over.

"I...am sorry," Arceus told her, "I cannot give you back what was lost...and for that I truly cannot apologize enough. I, too, lost much to that monster Necrozma." He leaned forward, illuminating his face so that everyone could see it, eliciting an array of shocked gasps from them all as they beheld his half-marred face. "Three Legendary Pokemon, a trio from Unova called the Swords of Justice...were slain at the hands of Necrozma…"

Ash's expression contorted with shock. "What?! That's impossible!"

"I thought so too once," Arceus replied solemnly, "But Necrozma has single handedly shattered every illusion I thought was reality. My firstborn children, the Legends, are not invincible...nor am I."

Ash, still in disbelief, shook his head. "I knew them...it wasn't for long, but still...wait, is Keldeo still alive?!"

Arceus nodded, eliciting a relieved sigh from Ash. "He is, but the loss has scarred him. He tried to find me to help, but...Necrozma cut him off at every turn and beat him to the brink of death. He only allowed Keldeo to live so that he could tell me about what happened and incite my wrath."

"And that's why you fought him?" Ash asked.

"Sort of. I had been meaning to strike him down ever since he arrived, but he proved to be a slippery one. He attacked any Legends he found and disappeared only after scarring their bodies and minds beyond repair. This included Lugia, which is why the Orange Islands were destroyed."

"W-wait," One of the other survivors spoke up, "That was _him?!_ All this time, I thought it was Lugia like the news said!"

Arceus' expression twisted, and he narrowed his eyes with a fury he somehow managed to suppress. "Lugia is a stalwart paragon amongst what the Legends should be. He is calm, level-headed and kind to the innocent. He would never attack the Orange Islands like that, nor does he even have power of that magnitude to do so. He fought to the last, staving off Necrozma's wrath for as long as possible. The media is untrustworthy."

Serena spoke up next. "But wait," She said, "What are we going to do, then? If Necrozma holds enough power to wipe out entire islands of that size with ease, and even has enough power to defeat you, then...what chance do we have."

"That," Arceus began, rising back to his full height, "Is the other reason I have come here. I alone cannot defeat Necrozma, but if we can unite the world as a singular unit and fight back with our full might, we might be able to scour him from our home once and for all."

"With all due respect, milord," Riley spoke, rising back to his feet. "But how are we going to do that? The world is in chaos right now, and this is the last place they would ever come to."

"I'm glad you asked," Arceus replied with a humm, "I am going to send out a worldwide message of my own to rally the world and purge them of their fears. If all goes well, I am hoping the entire world's population of trainers and wild Pokemon will unite here and wait on standby until Necrozma arrives with his forces. I will then deploy the entirety of the Legends of the Hall of Origins to aid in the battle."

"But what will you do?" Zero asked.

Arceus turned down to the girl and his heart skipped a beat. Though her demeanor was calm, and she even had her eyes closed, her Aura said otherwise. It whirled around her in a storm of violent, raging crimson flame. It was as red as a dying star.

"...What happened to you…?" He whispered under his breath.

Zero tilted her head. "Huh?"

Arceus quickly shook his head to dispel his thoughts and get back on topic. "W-well, little one, I was planning on sending a message similarly to Necrozma, and dispelling the fear he left behind as he did so. Essentially, I'd just tell the world what I just told all of you?"

"When?" Asked Ash.

"Right about now-ish."

"Wha-"

Arceus took off into the sky and released his energy to the four corners of the world, coating the skies all across the globe in a brilliant gold sheen, and while Necrozma instilled dread as he spoke, Arceus instilled a sense of calm. It was time to start undoing the damage Necrozma dealt to the world, starting with the confidence of the people.

" _HEAR ME, DENIZENS OF EARTH! I AM ARCEUS, THE MOST POWERFUL POKEMON IN EXISTENCE AND CREATOR OF THE WORLD! OUR PLANET NOW FACES A TERRIBLE CRISIS! AS I AM SURE YOU ALL KNOW, THE ONE WHO CALLS HIMSELF NECROZMA HAS DECLARED WAR ON OUR WORLD, LEAVING YOU ALL IN A STATE OF CONFUSION AND FEAR. I AM SPEAKING WITH YOU TO SAY THAT THIS WILL NOT BE OUR END! IF WE ALLOW OURSELVES TO DISSOLVE INTO CHAOS, WE WILL FALL. BUT, IF WE UNITE OUR POWER INTO A SINGULAR FORCE AND STRIKE AT NECROZMA THE MOMENT HE ARRIVES, WE HAVE A CHANCE! I BESEECH YOU, MAN AND POKEMON ALIKE: GATHER THE STRENGTH YOU CAN AND MARCH TOWARDS GOLDENROD CITY! ONLY IF WE UNITE TOGETHER CAN WE STOP THE COMING FIRE! ONLY IF WE UNITE TOGETHER CAN WE STOP OUR DEMISE! ONLY IF WE UNITE TOGETHER CAN WE DEFEAT NECROZMA AND SURVIVE TO TELL THE TALE! SO, IF ANY OF YOU ARE BRAVE ENOUGH TO FIGHT SO THAT WE CAN LIVE TO SEE TOMORROW, JOIN US IN GOLDENROD CITY TO AWAIT NECROZMA'S ARRIVAL! MY CHOSEN ONE, ASH KETCHUM OF PALLET TOWN, KANTO, WILL ORGANIZE YOU FROM THERE!_ "

With those rallying words, Arceus flew off into the sky and disappeared, dispelling the worldwide golden light. The world was once again left in a dazed stupor, but none more so than the ones who beheld the message firsthand. The survivors of New Bark Town stared up blankly into the sky with a dumbstruck sense of awe. Finally, Ash Ketchum, the chosen one of Arceus himself, who ordained for the boy to lead the entire world's forces, stood tall and spoke.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN I'LL ORGANIZE THEM?! I DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO THAT!"

* * *

 _ **Hours later, unknown location.**_

The room was nearly pitch black. Amidst its' darkness, The Man was less than pleased. Even the normally-calming cigars He loved so much didn't seem to have the slightest impact on his ire, so He dotted out the flame of the one currently in His mouth and threw it into a trash bin behind him, where it was incinerated without a trace. He then opted for a glass of wine instead. He had been trying to call His 'partner' ever since his worldwide declaration of war with no luck.

The Man knew Necrozma's forces were close enough that communication would be no issue, which could only mean that Necrozma had broken ties with Him completely if he was not responding. A holographic black screen floated before The Man with the icon of a phone ringing, and that icon had been playing on loop for the past twelve hours.

The Man groaned in annoyance and spun in His chair back around to His desk. If this call was going to take this long, then there were other matters He could attend to in the meanwhile. A large stack of paperwork awaited Him, and while He despised the sheer mundanity of doing this, He trusted no one else in His ranks to do these. Well, there was one other, but he was away at the moment.

He was nearly blinded by the screen behind Him suddenly turning white. He neglected to shield His eyes, for if it truly was who He thought had responded at last, then there was no way in hell He would show the slightest hint of weakness. He swerved His seat back around towards the holographic screen, but to His disappointment it was not the Leader of the Ultra Beasts, but instead, his right-hand 'man' Xurkitree.

"Why the hell are you here?" The Man spat, "I called for Necrozma, not his pet."

Despite the rudeness of The Man, Xurkitree bowed to Him similarly to a waiter all the same. "I'm terribly sorry, sir, but Lord Necrozma wishes not to speak with you."

"I didn't recall asking for his permission," Hissed The Man, "Nor for yours. Put him on the damned call!"

Xurkitree sighed. "I've already told you, he's not accepting-"

The Man, no longer having the patience to deal with the tree-shaped freak of nature that was Necrozma's pet, pressed a series of buttons on the holographic screen, and soon enough, the vision of Xurkitree disappeared into static and was replaced with Necrozma himself from the point of view of his crystal.

"Finally," The Man exclaimed, clasping His hands together on His lap, "Now, partner, where were we?"

" _ **What the hell are you doing?**_ " Demanded the dark demon, " _ **I told Xurkitree explicitly not to let you in**_."

"What am _I_ doing?" The Man couldn't help but to laugh at the sheer irony of that question, considering what Necrozma had just done. "I should be the one asking that. The plan was to ambush the world upon your arrival, not announce it to every damned living thing! What the hell were you thinking?!"

Necrozma chuckled down at the holographic image of The Man. " _ **Oh, I'm sorry, were you under the impression we were still working together?**_ "

The glass in The Man's hand cracked under His intensified grip. "... _Excuse me?_ "

" _ **Don't act like you never saw this coming. The moment you dared to try and issue me an order, you were a dead man waiting to be killed...though…**_ " He laughed darkly, sending the screen into a fit of static for a moment. " _ **I never had the intention of upholding our deal from the start. Exchanging technology for the lives of those three? Don't make me laugh. I would have found them with or without your help, and the rust in the gears of my ship is worth more than your entire planet. You're nothing. You never were anything, and you never will be.**_ "

The Man seethed in the shadow of His room, and web-like cracks began crawling up the glass of wine in His hands. "You...how dare you?! You can't betray me! You bastard, I will not stand for this!"

Necrozma laughed at him. " _ **Petty insults are unbecoming of one such as you and your so-called power. And betrayal implies that I was ever allied to you to begin with. Did you truly believe that I saw you as an equal? Oh, the naivety of you lot.**_ " The Leader of the Ultra Beasts leaned down into the screen. " _ **Your world is doomed, along with everything in it. Once I take down Arceus and the Legends, I'll be sure to personally pay you a visit before I destroy your pathetic planet once and for all.**_ "

Without leaving any time for The Man to reply, Necrozma cut communications with Him and left Him in complete darkness once more. The glass of wine in The Man's hand trembled for a moment, then shattered in His hand, slicing up parts of it. Though if He felt any pain, He did not show it. He merely leaned back into His chair in His pitch black room.

* * *

Creator- Hope the wait was well worth it for this one. Seeing as I had to split chapter ten into two parts due to its' length glitching up the site, this is now our longest chapter. I can't even count how many plot points were wrapped up here and how many new ones we created as well. And though the loss of Hawlucha was sad… _**the suffering is far from over...**_

Hydra- Holy somalies we did it I know we literally just broke our record for the most words in a single chapter on the last one, but now we did it again lol I hope you guys enjoyed this 36000 word titan.

Creator- With that, let's get roooooooight into the revieeeeews.

 _ **ManInTheShadows-**_ "Wow this is for sure the best fan fiction I've ever read. Necrozma is just absolutely brutal and I love it. Keep up the good work."

Creator- Yes it is. Finally someone realizes that. Lol just kiddin, thanks bro. Hope you loved the brutality of Necrozma this chapter.

Hydra- Why thank you very much for that very kind review sir, btw I'm really digging the name it reminds me of a certain someone….

 _ **Amourshipper35-**_ "Wow I hope Ash, Serena, Riley, and Zero are okay and were able to save Sabrina and I wonder what those guys want and I hope they can be stopped"

Creator- Well, Sabrina was indeed saved to a certain extent. At least now, the citizens of Saffron City, after hearing about their disappearance on the news, have something else to worry about so they can't gang up on Sabrina. And spoiler alert: She, and many many other familiar faces from the Pokemon series that have yet to show up in this fic, will appear soon enough. As for "those guys...:" Well...stopping them might prove difficult.

Hydra- Hello once again our most loyal reader, it is good to see you. About those guys…. things will slowly start to fall together VERY SOON so keep your eyes open because there's a lot of hints already out there as to The Mans whereabouts.

Creator- Well, that was short-lived. Thank you to our two reviewers. As for the rest off you, stop slacking off lol. THE REVIEWS... _ **THEY FUEL MY POWER**_. In all actuality, I just wanna hear your guys' reactions to stuff in each chapter. Personally, I think this is my greatest chapter yet, surpassing Chapter 5 at last.

Hydra- Once again I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter and don't forget to LEAVE SOME REVIEWS!


	14. Chapter 14: Preparations

_**Kanto Region, Tree of Life.**_

The Kanto Region's skies were nearly pitch black. Though now, they were peaceful compared to what had transpired mere hours ago one region over. That region, being Johto of course, was where an entire town had been laid to ruin and Arceus, the God of all Pokemon, had clashed against the universal conqueror, Necrozma.

That time had come to pass for now. Meanwhile, the other members of the Hall of Origins were training vigorously while awaiting the inevitable invasion of Necrozma. Amongst these Legends were Rayquaza, the emerald, serpentine Dragon guardian of the ozone layer, and Mewtwo, the genetic clone of the Mother of all life on Earth, Mew.

The two of them had come to the place with the greatest concentration of Aura, the spiritual makeup of all existence, to help Mewtwo unlock the power of Mega Evolution so they could further stack the odds in Earth's favor. As of now, though, they weren't having any luck. Despite the staggering amount of Aura in the area, Mewtwo couldn't seem to get a handle on the transformation. Perhaps it was because they were currently flying above the colossal tree instead of being within, but Mew was keen on not letting a single thing enter the tree due to Necrozma.

Mewtwo roared, releasing his vibrant amethyst-colored Psychic energy off in all directions, but this only availed to the clone Pokemon draining away at his stamina. "Damn it!" He cursed frustratedly.

Rayquaza hummed in thought. The two of them were trying to spark enough energy to react with the Aura surrounding the two of them which would, hopefully, cause the Aura to be absorbed by Mewtwo and allow him to obtain his own Mega Evolution like Rayquaza had been able to without use of a Mega Stone, but the only thing it seemed to be doing was disturbing the denizens of the tree. If they continued without luck for long enough, they ran the risk of irritating Mew.

"All right," Spoke Rayquaza, "I don't think this method will work."

Mewtwo doubled over, clutching at his chest and panting for air. "You...you think?" He said irritably.

Rayquaza nodded, ignoring the sarcasm. "Your energy is incredibly potent, Mewtwo. Even when compared to most of the other Legends amongst the Hall, your energy is immense. Though, that might be chalked up to being the clone of Mew." He looked down towards the stone-like branches of the Tree of Life. "I had hoped that simply being near the tree would be enough energy to spark some kind of transformation within you since you are nearly genetically identical to Mew, but it appears that was wishful thinking. Mega Evolution is a rarity, after all, and to my knowledge only Diancie and I can perform it."

Mewtwo grunted, returning back to his full height. "What now, then? Are there any other methods? How did you first perform it?"

"Well, the way I performed it is…" Rayquaza trailed off, looking towards the night sky. Since the Tree of Life was taller than the clouds, the both of them had a perfect view of the glistening night sky. "...A bit niche, to say the least."

"I'm all ears."

Rayquaza sighed, conceding. "Very well. I'll tell you the story, but I don't think it will be of any assistance. You see, thousands of years ago there was a fairly large meteor on its' way into colliding with Earth. Given that my job was, and still is to an extent, to protect the Earth from things in space, I naturally went to stop it. But, when I attempted to destroy the meteor, I found myself unable to. But something strange happened…"

The emerald-green serpentine dragon stared up at a glistening star, almost wistfully. The star glinted brightly, as if responding to his gaze. "...The meteor was carrying some kind of energy within it, and when I had blasted it with my Hyper Beam, it released the energy into me and I was able to Mega Evolve, destroying the meteor and scattering its' pieces into the atmosphere. From that day, I've been able to Mega Evolve at will, though it drains upon my stamina unlike those who Mega Evolve with an actual Mega Stone."

Mewtwo groaned in annoyance. "Yes, that was indeed unhelpful."

"I warned you!"

"Right," Mewtwo replied, rolling his shoulders, "So let me be a bit redundant and ask again: what now?"

"Well, I don't think we'll be finding any more magic meteors," Rayquaza said, "So unless you have any ideas, the only thing I can think of is transforming and hitting you with a Dragon Ascent to mimic the meteor's properties and see if that works."

Mewtwo remembered seeing Rayquaza's battle with Necrozma, or at least a portion of it. When Rayquaza had Mega Evolved, he ended up crashing into that monster from space with a Dragon Ascent and ended up turning his home and everything around it into a crater. Luckily, Mewtwo had the foresight to transport the other clone Pokemon away to a new location beforehand, else things might have taken a turn for the dark. But that power was not something he was keen on taking to the face.

"...I'll pass, thank you."

"Well, if you have any better ideas, I would love to hear them," Said Rayquaza, "Otherwise, we'll have no other choice than to give up on you Mega Evolving."

Mewtwo looked down towards the grey branches of the Tree of Life. "I was not born naturally to this world, but even I, a bastard child of this world, can feel the immense concentration of Aura just beneath us compared to the measly amount surrounding us up here."

"Out of the question," Snapped Rayquaza, "Mew has quarantined the area. Not a thing is being let in or out of the Tree until Necrozma is dealt with. Simply being near this place at all is an honor given our current situation, so don't go spitting her kindness back in her face by trying to enter."

Mewtwo merely narrowed his eyes down upon the stone-like branches. Not long after Mewtwo had broken free of the confines of his creators, he declared war upon the world and challenged the trainers to battle him to prove his superiority. In a disturbing sense, Mewtwo's past self reminded his current self of Necrozma. Though, during that battle, he clashed to a standstill with Mew, but a young boy named Ash gave him a different outlook on life, seeking only peace for his fellow clones.

"I've clashed with Mew before," Mewtwo told Rayquaza, "...I need to be able to Mega Evolve. If we are to win this war, I will need all the power I can get. If Mew cannot see that, I will force her to."

Rayquaza quickly flew down to face Mewtwo, staring him dead in the eyes. "Not a chance. Listen–whatever you think you did in that "fight" with Mew, you didn't. No one but Arceus, and Necrozma I suppose, can match her power. The only reason you survived was because she let you. Do. Not. _Anger her._ "

Rayquaza backed off, allowing Mewtwo some breathing room, but continued his rant. "Honestly, the worst case scenario that might happen if you took on my Dragon Ascent would be nothing compared to the thrashing Mew would give you if you disturbed her during a time like this."

"I'll take my chances," Mewtwo replied simply, "If she's so utterly terrifying, then at this point it's either I die to her or Necrozma."

"Well, she wouldn't _kill_ you," Admitted Rayquaza, "But she'd probably thrash you within an inch of your life."

Mewtwo merely chuckled at the prospect of that. "I wouldn't be able to recover from something like that in a mere five days and she knows it. I don't think she's quite dull enough in the head to dwindle down our forces like that."

Without waiting for Rayquaza to respond, Mewtwo descended into the colossal, grey branches of the Tree of Life. Rayquaza, unsure what to do, bit his lip and followed. He wasn't the type of Legend to let someone just march to their death. Not alone, at least.

As the gigantic grey branches passed by Mewtwo, he activated the sensory powers of his Psychic abilities, scanning around to find life forms or at least get Mew's attention. As he gazed around, he couldn't help but to notice the beauty of this place. The further down he went, the more flora he saw sprouting somehow from the seemingly-stone tree.

Rayquaza, meanwhile, was far too apprehensive about this situation to be able to appreciate the beautiful life. He had seen Mew's wrath a few times before, but luckily she never ended up actually turning it on anyone. Arceus, however, was a different story. The lord father of the members of the Hall of Origin could be...a bit less than merciful at times. In times of rage, he would not tolerate being questioned, and his wrath would easily end up being immensely destructive. If Mew was on the same scale of power as him…

Mewtwo noticed something out of the corner of his eye and halted his downward progress. It was a cave entrance into the trunk of the tree, or at least he thought so. He looked around to the other branches surrounding them on all sides like a spider web and found there were cave entrances on each one leading into different parts of the tree. Pokemon, curious about the new Pokemon floating down, began poking their heads out of the caves at him, to which he nodded towards a few of them. They quickly retreated back into their hole.

Mewtwo floated down onto one of the particularly-large branches in comparison to the others. It was breathtakingly beautiful. There was a light-green grass trail from the tip on the branch stretching back to the cave entrance at the trunk. On the side of the trail, there was a larger, deeper green grass patch on either side that followed alongside the trail, with dozens upon dozens of multicolored flowers dotting around the trail, as if the tree itself was beckoning the two of them to come in.

"This place...it's…" Mewtwo marveled at the sight before him.

Rayquaza nodded, equally enthralled by its' beauty. "...Incredible…"

Mewtwo began walking forward, tentatively taking a step. He felt a compulsion to be careful, taking as light of a step as he could with each step forward, like each and every step he took could potentially kill the beautiful flora. It didn't feel so much as grass as it did a cold blanket. Rayquaza couldn't help but to fly down and touch the grass gently with his clawed hand.

Finally, the duo came before the opening, and to their dismay the soft grass trail ended, being replaced with a pinkish-brown stone flooring. Though at least the cave was massive, allowing Rayquaza to enter with ease. "Well," Mewtwo said, "I suppose this is our ticket in." Rayquaza nodded. "Yes...I suppose so…" Without fear, Mewtwo took the step forward into the cave while Rayquaza was still apprehensive. He dared a glance back up towards the sky, debating if he should abandon this suicide mission and fly back up to the skies. He quickly dashed the thought from his mind and turned to follow Mewtwo, but stopped when he saw that the clone Pokemon had raised up his arm, signaling for him to halt.

"Wait," Mewtwo said, looking about from place to place sporadically, "I can sense the Pokemon retreating into their caves."

"Well, that's to be expected," Rayquaza replied, "We're practically aliens here, since these Pokemon have been holed up here for their entire lives."

Mewtwo shook his head. "No, that's not just it. While the others are retreating, there are three doing the opposite. They're coming our way."

"Three?" Mused Rayquaza, "Oh,I wouldn't worry about them, then. It's probably just the Three Regis, who are charged with guarding this place. They travel around the tree often, patrolling it every hour of the day. Not to mention, they don't attack Pokemo-"

The ground behind them burst, sending dust, stones and rubble flying down into the abyss. A single figure emerged from the dust cloud and marched toward them. It was a golem-like creature made entirely out of light brown stone with seven yellow dots on its' head that formed an "H" shape. The dots flashed wildy and the creature held out its' arms toward the duo.

" **Om. Om. Om. Om. Om.** "

"I don't think it's friendly, Rayquaza."

An orange ball of energy formed between the hands of the stone golem Pokemon, and it shot out a large laser towards them. In response, Mewtwo swiped his hand to his side, redirecting the laser away into another part of the tree. Rayquaza quickly stepped in between the two.

"Wait, Regirock!" He ordered, "We are not enemies, nor humans! We are Pokemon of the Hall of Origin, and we mean no harm to come to you or the Tree of Life!"

The stone golem Pokemon, now identified to Mewtwo as Regirock, began making odd beeping noises as the yellow dots on its' face spastically began to glow. Instead of listening to Rayquaza, Regirock merely leaned to the side and fired an array of sharp stones towards Mewtwo. The clone Pokemon prepared to deflect the attack, but Rayquaza flicked it away with his tail on his own.

"Enough, Regirock!" Roared Rayquaza, "Stand down! We are not here to fight, but if you attack us, we will have no option but to subdue you!"

The rock golem Pokemon stepped back, beeping out an odd array of noises. It seemed to be mulling over Rayquaza's words. It turned back up to Rayquaza, and the beeping became more jittery. Holding its' hands out, it fired another Hyper Beam at the two of them.

"Very well then." Rayquaza fired off a Hyper Beam of his own, completely overpowering Regirock's Hyper Beam and sending it falling off the edge of the cliff.

"Are you sure that was alright?" Mewtwo asked him, "If that thing was supposed to be a guardian of this place, then destroying that thing would weaken the Tree's defenses."

"It is of no consequence," Rayquaza replied, "Regirock and the other two are immensely durable. It would take far more than that to fully get rid of them. Speaking of which, you said all three of them were coming, right? Where are the other two?"

His question was answered when an Ice Beam shot out at him from somewhere beneath the branch they were standing on, forcing Rayquaza to curl his serpentine body so that the Ice Beam barely glanced by. But though the Ice Beam didn't succeed in hitting Rayquaza, it forged a path up to Mewtwo and Rayquaza's location.

Two more figures bounded up to them using the ice bridge, and though Mewtwo quickly collapsed it with his Psychic powers, they were still able to make it up in time. They were similar to Regirock in composition, sharing their overall body structure along with the yellow dots Mewtwo assumed were eyes. One of them was an incredibly light teal-cyan color with jagged, prismatic-shaped ice making up its' core body structure. The yellow dots formed a plus-sign shape.

The next guardian of the Tree of Life was grey-colored and more slick and smooth compared to the other two. Its' head was more bulbous and round-shaped as well, with black, flappy arms and tiny fingers. It appeared to be the sturdiest among the three. The yellow dots on its' face made up the shape of a circle with one dot in the center.

"Those are Regice and Registeel," Rayquaza told Mewtwo, eyeing them apprehensively, "Regice is a bad matchup for me, and Registeel is a bad matchup for you."

"So, what should we do, then?"

"Easy," Rayquaza, replied, turning to face Registeel, "We take the other one!"

Mewtwo cracked his neck, shrugging his shoulders to loosen him up for the incoming battle. "Sounds about right."

The two of them began to beep loudly, like a computer making calculations. Regice turned to Rayquaza and attempted to blast an Ice Beam at him, to which Mewtwo made the beam swerve off course and into the trunk of the tree. Stepping in front of Regice, he motioned for the ice golem to keep its' gaze upon him with his index finger.

"Your battle is with me," Mewtwo told it.

" **Reg-Regice Reg-Regice** ," The ice golem Pokemon chattered, beeping vigorously and turning to face away from the emerald dragon towards him. The beeping and flashing of the yellow dots upon its' face became spastic, until they all simultaneously turned red.

Regice shot another Ice Beam at Mewtwo, who flicked the attack away once more and lurched beneath the ice golem, shooting a Shadow Ball directly into its' face. Mewtwo leapt away from the smoke and up into the air to see his handiwork, which came to him in the form of a Zap Cannon attack. Mewtwo swiftly stopped it in its' tracks with his Psychic powers, but another Ice Beam shot out from the smoke as well. It was not aimed at Mewtwo. The Ice Beam collided with the Zap Cannon, causing it to explode and send Mewtwo careening backwards.

" **Reeeeegiii-iiiiiiiice** " The smoke around Regice was blown away by the ice golem flapping its' arms, and it quickly hopped off of the branch and onto another one to pursue Mewtwo.

"And then there were two," Rayquaza spoke, grinning down to Registeel. The steel golem Pokemon turned its' gaze up to Rayquaza, beeping at him furiously. It held out its' hands and fired a glowing white Flash Cannon up to Rayquaza, to which he shot back a Flamethrower down at it. The two attacks collided, seemingly equal in power, but their struggle never ended in a victory for either. Rayquaza's Flamethrower ended up curving around the Flash Cannon and blasting Registeel in the face while the Flash Cannon, now unimpeded, did the same to Rayquaza, sending up a massive wave of smoke.

Rayquaza emerged from the smoke, brushing himself off. The damage done to himself by that attack was minimal, only moderately annoying him at most. He was curious to see if Registeel's condition was any different. He got his answer when the steel golem came rocketing out of the smoke and bashed clean into the emerald dragon with an Iron Head, sending Rayquaza careening into the side of another large branch.

Rayquaza growled in irritation. "A blindside, huh? Well, two can play at that game!" Rayquaza rushed down to Registeel, who had landed upon a different branch. Registeel held up his arms to shield himself, but to its' surprise, Rayquaza swerved down just before hitting him. The draconian Legend dived underneath the branch, came back up behind Registeel and used his tail to wrap around the golem, trapping it in his Bind.

Before Registeel was given the chance to react, Rayquaza flung it into the wall of the trunk and blasted it with a Hyper Beam that kept the guardian pinned helplessly against it, giving it no chance of escape nor retaliation.

' _Great_ ," Rayquaza thought, ' _I just have to keep this up until it can no longer fight. Then I'll go assist Mewtwo and we can-_ '

Rayquaza grunted in pain suddenly, making him accidentally halt the Hyper Beam and allowing Registeel to fall back onto the ground to its' knees. Multiple jagged stones had dug into Rayquaza's body, so he shook them off and turned to face whatever did it. Hanging from a wall behind him, Regirock had managed to dig his arm into it to stop his fall from earlier and had shot a Stone Edge at him.

"You're annoyingly persistent," Rayquaza hissed down at it. He charged another Hyper Beam to knock it from the wall, but he was struck from behind once more with another Flash Cannon, and again by another Stone Edge the second he turned back to face Registeel. "You little-! Draco Meteor!" Rayquaza fired an orange ball of crackling energy into the sky that exploded outward, sending down a hail of meteors upon the two Regis. Regirock quickly leapt up onto the surface of the branch it was holding onto to avoid getting sent falling down, but was unable to avoid getting hit once it had done so.

Registeel stood back to its' full height and used Curse, which heightened its' defenses against all kinds of attacks in exchange for its' speed. The steel golem shielded itself just in time and managed to stay on its' feet as the numerous Draco Meteors pelted it with explosions. It burst from the ensuing smoke and fired another Flash Cannon at Rayquaza, who curled his body out of the way and fired down another Flamethrower.

To Rayquaza's shock, Registeel seemed completely unfazed by the fiery attack. The Curse had worked its' magic, and now the steel golem could endure far more than before. Rayquaza scowled and intensified the Flamethrower in an attempt to overpower the Curse's effect. Registeel, however, was faring quite nicely, charging up another Flash Cannon within its' hands to blast through the Flamethrower once it deemed the attack strong enough to do so.

Several more Stone Edges came flying up at Rayquaza from beneath. Seeing this, Rayquaza slapped them aside with his tail but one of the shards had managed to slip through, nailing the draconian Legend square in the eye. Roaring in agony, Rayquaza dropped the Flamethrower, giving Registeel the perfect opportunity to unleash the Flash Cannon. The glowing white laser blasted into Rayquaza's chest, making him double over and sending him crashing through one of the walls.

Mewtwo, meanwhile was busy himself. Regice, perched still upon one of the branches, was launching a barrage of Zap Cannons Mewtwo's way, and the cloned Legend was deftly dodging them one after another. There were too many for him to stop, and if he did so, Regice would simply have aimed for the stopped ones and cause them to explode again. He couldn't approach the ice golem either, as it would give it an even easier time hitting him.

"Fine then," Said Mewtwo, summoning a blob of shadowy energy within his hands, "Two can play at this game! Shadow Ball!" He flung the stygian ball at Regice, who simply turned his hand towards it and blasted it with another Zap Cannon. What the golem didn't expect was for the Shadow Ball to burst into a blinding haze upon detonation.

Regice beeped confusedly, searching desperately for its' target, but was unable to do so amidst the dark bog. Mewtwo lurched out at him suddenly and smacked it with a point-blank Shadow Ball right into its' face. The ice golem recoiled back and fell off the branch, but was quick on the uptake to save itself. It fired an Ice Beam at the wall of the tree and curved it down towards itself, creating a small platform of ice.

Mewtwo held out its' hand and, to Regice's confusion, the ice platform beneath its' feet began shaking vigorously until it shattered. At the last second, Regice hopped off of the platform and created another, to which Mewtwo shattered it again. This repeated itself many times until Mewtwo realized what Regice was trying to do.

"It's trying to climb back up towards Registeel!"

Mewtwo quickly fired a Shadow Ball at Regice, but in return, it fired an Ice Beam that froze it completely still. It then summoned a Zap Cannon and fired it into the frozen Shadow Ball, creating another dark bog that rendered it invisible from Mewtwo's sight. It had used his previous tactic against him.

"These things are smarter than I gave them credit for," Mewtwo commended, "But…"

Mewtwo sensed his surroundings and quickly found Regice's location within the bog. He held his arm out forward and pulled Regice out of the smoke with Psychic, but the ice golem had its' own surprise in tow. From the bog, several Zap Cannons flung themselves towards Mewtwo, and when he tried to stop them, he unintentionally let Regice free.

Now free of Mewtwo's grasp, Regice blasted Mewtwo with Ice Beam and froze him stuck, held by the wall of the tree. The Zap Cannons, now unimpeded, flew right into Mewtwo and exploded violently, sending bursts of loose electricity streaking across the walls and branches.

Meanwhile, inside the tree, the Pokemon dwelling there were running to and fro in a mad panic. The invaders and the Regis' clash was becoming destructive. A few of these Pokemon had run into an opening within the cave systems of the tree and into a large, flowery garden. In that garden was an array of toys. There were stuffed animals, dolls, action figures and more piled by the hundreds on top of the flowery ground. The Pokemon stormed forward towards an individual and pleaded to it.

"Oh? Hello, guys. Is there something wrong?"

Mewtwo grunted in pain as he impacted another branch and collapsed onto the surface of another right below it. "I don't get it!" The clone Pokemon seethed, getting back to his feet, "I can sense the difference in our powers clear as day, so how is it…?"

Then it dawned on him. "That must be it...it's not that its' power is greater...it knows every aspect of the Tree inside and out, and it's using that information to formulate strategies...similarly to how a computer would…" Regice crashed down before him, pointing his hand down and preparing to finish Mewtwo off with an Ice Beam. Mewtwo, however, merely grinned up at him. "But...computers aren't perfect. They can't think creatively like...like a living being can."

Mewtwo grabbed hold of Regice's hand just as the Ice Beam fired, causing it to cave in on itself and coat Regice in its' own ice. A miniature, jagged glaiture formed, pointing out towards the sky from the stone branch. However, Mewtwo knew better than to think he was out of the clear just yet. With his Psychic power, he picked up the glaiture and let it drop from the branch. What Mewtwo didn't expect, however, was for Rayquaza to come crashing into it, sending the ice shards scattering and freeing Regice.

"What the?!" Exclaimed Mewtwo.

Rayquaza, having had his momentum stopped in the collision, shook himself over to brush off the ice. He turned up to scan his surroundings and found Mewtwo. "Hey!" He called up to him, "What's the big idea?! Was that you?!"

"Yeah, sorry about that," Mewtwo replied with a chuckle, "I don't typically expect dragons to collide with the glaciers I throw off of branches of city-sized trees."

Rayquaza muttered under his breath, "Smart ass…"

Their reunion was cut short when an Ice Beam from below froze Rayquaza completely, coating the serpentine dragon in a thick layer of ice and making him hurtle down towards the bottom. Mewtwo was surprised, but quickly pulled the frozen dragon back up onto the branch. The clone Pokemon sighed, but as he turned and looked up at Rayquaza's frozen form, he realized there might be a new predicament.

"...How am I supposed to thaw this?"

Luckily for him, his problem ended sorting itself out when, from inside the chunk of ice, Rayquaza used Flamethrower. The process was slow, but it worked. The ice ended up caving outward from the flames and burst open, allowing him to free himself from the ice. Furiously, he turned down to Regice to blast him with a Flamethrower, but it was nowhere to be found.

"What the?! Where'd it go?"

"Maybe it fell?" Mewtwo offered, sensing their locations. He traced Regice's location, and found that it was neither above nor below them. But rather, within the tree to their side. "It's in the tree!" Mewtwo warned, jumping off of the branch just in time to avoid Regice crashing through the side of the tree with an Ice Punch. Luckily for Rayquaza, he had already been airborne, so he wasn't in danger from the attack.

He was, however, in danger of another Ice Beam that came his way. In return, Rayquaza let out a roar with such force that the Ice Beam was completely destroyed, and Regice recoiled. Taking the opportunity laid out before him, Rayquaza fired another Flamethrower that hit Regice dead on. The ice golem shrieked out in pain, eliciting a shrill, high-pitched noise that forced Mewtwo to cover his ears. Rayquaza winced in pain, but was able to keep the attack going.

Mewtwo's attention snapped over to his right suddenly. "The other two are coming our way!"

Surely enough, Regirock and Registeel were leaping from branch to branch towards their location. Mewtwo tried to halt them with a Psychic attack, but the shrill shrieking of Regice made it so that he couldn't focus. The two Regis leapt onto their branch and body slammed Rayquaza, sending him flying backward.

Regice halted its' screeching, allowing Mewtwo some relief at last. Though, a piercing headache still remained. The clone Pokemon's respite was short lived due to the trio of guardians turning to face him, and Mewtwo could only think to himself, ' _Oh shi_ -'

Registeel charged at Mewtwo with an Iron Head, and the clone Pokemon deftly sidestepped out of the way only to be blasted by a barrage of Stone Edges and then frozen by an Ice Beam. The ice encasing Mewtwo shattered nigh-instantly and he burst out into the sky. Lifting his hands over his head, he created a massive Shadow Ball over his head. Registeel, who had slipped by him after missing the Iron Head, fired a Flash Cannon into the ball, and Mewtwo could only look up at it in horror.

The Shadow Ball began crackling with loose, violent energy and its' shape malformed. It expanded suddenly, even when Mewtwo tried to force it to condense. "Dammit!" He exclaimed, "It's gonna blow! Those damn things are way too good as a team...but then…" A mischievous idea struck him. "I can use this to my advantage!" He threw the unstable Shadow Ball down towards the Regis, but to Mewtwo's dismay, it stopped suddenly. From beneath him, the Regis were firing Hyper Beams up at the ball to push it back.

Mewtwo quickly began using his Psychic prowess to push the Shadow Ball as well, but he was fighting an uphill battle. The Hyper Beams of all three Regis were out-powering his own power. He grunted and tried to force the ball down, pouring even more of his might down but it had little effect. It only slowed the ball down, but it was still in the Regis' favor and they hardly appeared to be exhausted. Not to mention, the ball was becoming more unstable by the second.

Rayquaza righted himself in the air and saw the situation unfolding before him. Rocketing up to Mewtwo, he asked, "Need a hand?"

"That...would be appreciated..." Mewtwo replied between breaths.

Rayquaza nodded to him in affirmation and, reeling back his head, he fired a Hyper Beam of his own that dwarfed the size of the Regis' Hyper Beams, pushing the Shadow Ball down in their favor at last. The Regis, however, would not take that lightly, and they increased the power of their own Hyper Beams. With all five Pokemon's powers colliding, they held the colossal Shadow Ball at a standstill. With all the attacks being pumped into it, the Shadow Ball's stability continuously wavered more and more.

Then, under the sheer pressure from both sides, it exploded.

Time seemed to stand still to Mewtwo for a moment. The Shadow Ball had consumed him, Rayquaza and the Regis all at once. He was blown back, but he didn't feel it. Surrounding him on all sides, the world had seemed to turn purple. Countless bolts of white plasma were scattered about from within the Shadow Ball, and Mewtwo felt every inch of his body burning. He couldn't move his head, but he could at least move his eyes.

He turned his gaze towards Rayquaza who was also in a position that suggested he was in the midst of being blown backwards with tremendous force. His mouth was wide open and his expression suggested shock and surprise. Traces of his Hyper Beam were scattered about above his head. Then, time resumed once more. Mewtwo cried out in pain as his back impacted the stone-hard bark of the tree. Rayquaza ended up in a similar position. Remnants of the purple energy, even as the ball itself faded, remained sparking on their skin.

Rayquaza hacked out a puff of smoke. "Are the Regis...still there?"

Mewtwo shook his head. "I...don't know…" The clone Pokemon attempted to sense the trio of Regis and, to his utter shock, they appeared to be relatively unharmed. "Impossible!"

"What, what is it?!" Rayquaza asked.

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed in frustration. "...I believe they took shelter in the tree...and avoided taking damage…"

Rayquaza's eyes shot open in disbelief and he turned to look down at where the three Regis were. The smoke surrounding the area faded and, surely enough, the trio emerged from a hole they'd punched in the side of the tree to avoid the brunt of the attack. Registeel looked up to the two invaders embedded in the walls and began chattering beeps excitedly.

" **WOMPWOMPWOMPWOMPWOMPWOMPWOMP.** "

Regirock and Regice followed the steel golem's gaze and began beeping as well. Mewtwo and Rayquaza growled down at them in annoyance. Alone, the Regis weren't particularly strong as far as Legends went. They were, however, incredibly intelligent, acting like supercomputers with bodies. What's more, their teamwork and co-ordination when they acted together was seemingly impossible to deal with.

"What's their deal?!" Mewtwo demanded, "They shouldn't be this strong!"

Rayquaza hummed in thought. "...I haven't the foggiest clue...they're not normally this aggressive either. Perhaps it is because this place is on lockdown due to Necrozma…"

"Tch," Mewtwo spat, "Of course...we simply happened to show up at a bad time, that's all."

The Regi trio held their hands up towards the two of them, charging up their signature elemental attacks. In Regice's hand, plasmatic ice crackled to form an Ice Beam. In Regirock's hands, dozens of small jagged stones spun around to gain momentum, becoming Stone Edge. In Registeel's hands, a glowing, burning light materialized, readying itself to be launched as a Flash Cannon.

Mewtwo growled in frustration and burst from the stone branch in a fiery purple glow. Rayquaza followed suit, minus the purple glow obviously. They stared down at the trio who were charging their attacks, and Mewtwo looked up to Rayquaza.

"So, what now?" He asked.

Rayquaza showed a toothy grin. "I'll tell you what happens now. Now, we stop holding back! Mega Evolution time!"

Rayquaza stared up into the starry night sky and took off like a rocket as a green blur. The Regis fired their attacks, forcing Mewtwo to turn back and try to force them back with his powers to no avail. He managed to stop them from hitting him, but was unable to deflect them and could only keep them at bay. To make matters worse, the attacks fused into one another, creating a flashing vibrant spiral of ice, steel and stone.

"Come on, Rayquaza…!" Mewtwo urged, "What the hell are you doing?!"

Rayquaza, meanwhile breached into the upper atmosphere. Grinning, the Dragon of the Skies raised his head with pride. Here he was, home at last. The Ozone Layer. It was here where his power was at its' greatest, and he began absorbing the energy surrounding the area. An emerald green light began emanating from his core.

Mewtwo hissed, faltering for but a moment which ended up getting him pinned into the tree wall. He roared and tried to force the combined attack of the Regis back with all his might, but still, he only succeeded in stopping for the time being. Baring his fangs, the clone Pokemon pressed on.

Rayquaza, meanwhile, was still in the midst of collecting energy. By now, his entire body was glowing a brilliant shade of green as the particles of space were drawn towards him. He closed his eyes and bathed in the extraterrestrial energy. Slowly but surely, the energy was coming together.

Mewtwo felt his stamina begin to fade away. With his back quite literally against the wall, and every last bit of energy being used to stave off the combined attacks of the Regis, the only hope for him was for Rayquaza to arrive. His arms were starting to get pushed back, and he was forced to close his eyes as he exerted his power.

" _Rayquaza!_ "

Rayquaza's eyes shot open and the green light surrounding him exploded outward. The golden markings on the sides of his body became glowing whiskers upon his chin, and new jagged fang-like structures had appeared on either side of his mouth. What's more, he had grown in size as well. He was now Mega Rayquaza. Turning back down towards the Earth, Rayquaza summoned his energy around him in an emerald green cone and rocketed down towards the Earth.

Mewtwo felt the last of his stamina coming upon him. The barrier was beginning to weaken and the combined attack of the guardians of the Tree of Life was but mere inches away from colliding into his face. Then, before anyone could blink, a green streak of light tore down from the heavens above and crashed straight through the branch the Regi trio were standing on.

Immediately the trio was swept off their feet by the crashing winds that ensued from the collision and they were sent flying down into the abyss, chattering and beeping furiously. Rayquaza soared up to Mewtwo, who collapsed onto another branch nearby, and gave him a toothy grin.

"So, how'd I do?" He asked.

Mewtwo wanted to be angry at him for taking so long, but found himself too exhausted for anger. Instead, he merely laughed, relieved out of his mind. "Took you long enough," He rasped, mirroring Rayquaza's grin.

Their little bonding moment was cut short by a sudden tremor. As they looked down to identify where it came from, they saw the gigantic stone branch that Rayquaza had barreled through to get rid of the Regis was now collapsing. The last tendons holding it together snapped and, to Rayquaza's horror, the branch began plummeting and destroying the walls of the tree as it fell.

"Oh...no...no, no no no, NO!"

Mewtwo gave Rayquaza an odd stare. "What? What's wrong?"

"I was only fighting the Regis out of self defense," Rayquaza told him, "I never meant to...destroy part of the tree!"

"Trees grow back," Mewtwo replied snidely.

Rayquaza grabbed hold of Mewtwo's shoulder, shaking him vigorously. "Do you not comprehend what we've just done?! The Tree of Life is the most important place on the planet! Destroying even a small piece of it is a sin! The only greater offense on Earth is defying Arceus and Mew, and by coming here and desecrating this place, WE'VE DONE TWO OF THOSE THINGS!"

Mewtwo was on the verge of losing his lunch. "Okay, I get it! Just let go, we'll figure something out!"

Rayquaza obeyed, letting go of Mewtwo's shoulders but the panic hadn't left him and the draconian legend began flying back and forth, ranting to himself. "Figure something out, yeah we'll figure something out, we'll figure out where we wanna get buried, that's what we'll figure out, "figure something out", he says, we're going to die, Mew's gonna kill us, what, are we gonna figure out how to die before Mew kills us, yeah that'll…"

Mewtwo rolled his eyes and stood back onto his feet. Toning out Rayquaza's panicked ranting, he made his way to the edge of the branch and peered over to see what was left of the other branch Rayquaza had destroyed. It looked as if veins were protruding from where it had been cut off, making Mewtwo raise an eyebrow in confusion. Something even more odd caught his attention. He only saw it for a split second, but in that brief moment he thought he saw something red dripping from the veins.

Mewtwo's thought was confirmed when he saw a red, liquid-like substance drip from one of the veins again. Then, another vein began leaking the odd substance, which fell into the abyss. More and more of them began leaking, until it formed a bubble of some kind, like a clot. A few blobs fell off the main clot, but to Mewtwo's surprise, they ended up sticking to the side of the wall...and began crawling up.

"Say, Rayquaza," Mewtwo started, backing away from the edge, "Does this tree... _bleed_ , by chance?"

Rayquaza's ranting stopped as he acknowledged the question. "Bleed? No, why?"

Mewtwo pointed down to the red blobs crawling toward them. "Then what the actual hell are those?"

Rayquaza raised his brow questioningly, but turned to see what Mewtwo was referring to...and his blood ran cold.

"Wait, what?! What are those things doing?! They're not supposed to go after Pokemon!"

"So you know after all. Mind filling me in?"

"Those are the Cells," Rayquaza answered, "They usually only go after invading humans, but when they come in contact with one, they dissolve it instantaneously...but that's not the worst part…"

"Well, go on then," Mewtwo urged, "Something tells me these ones aren't exactly after humans this time."

Nodding solemnly, Rayquaza continued. "When they absorb something, its' dematerialized and used as energy for the tree, but the person isn't killed...they're kept alive with their memories and consciousness...but they're helpless at this point. There's nothing they can do but cycle through the veins of the tree endlessly."

"So what you're telling me is that we need to kill these things?" Mewtwo asked with a dry chuckle.

Rayquaza shook his head. "These things are formless and mindless. They'll regenerate indefinitely so long as the Tree of Life is still alive, which will hopefully be for forever."

"Then if we can't beat them, let's just go around."

Again, Rayquaza shook his head. "These things come from the tree itself. If these things think of us as a threat, the entire tree does, and if we go inside there will be no way to escape."

Mewtwo's lip curled into a frown and he crossed his arms. "Well, then what?! It's not like we have much of an option but to go in if I want to get my Mega Evolution."

"I know, but if we fight those things, then the last thing you'll ever get is power!"

Mewtwo rolled his neck and he flared his Psychic energy. "We'll just have to see then."

Without waiting for Rayquaza's rebuttal, Mewtwo leapt from the branch and rocketed down toward the red blobs. Summoning a psychic barrier around himself, he tore into the largest of them, the clot that formed around the torn veins of the branch Rayquaza destroyed, and sent his power blasting outward. The result was the vast majority of the blobs sailing down into the dark abyss.

However, many of them clung to Mewtwo's barrier and began clumping together to cover his shield completely. The clone Pokemon was unfazed, however. "So these things are the grand defense system? With how Rayquaza described them, I expected to face a nightmare...but I'm not complaining. I need to get within the tree by any means necessary, so get out of my way."

Mewtwo sent out another Psychic blast that sent most of the Cells scattering off the side of the cliff. Faster than before, more of them piled onto the barrier once again. Mewtwo raised an eyebrow and fired another. Hardly any were sent off this time, and any untaken spot on his barrier was quickly swarmed once again. Mewtwo became annoyed and fired another pulse, with this one carrying far more power than the last.

The surrounding parts of the thick, stone tree bark nearby collapsed into rubble and fell, sending any of the Cells attached to it careening down after it. Yet, any and all cells that fell in the attack were replaced doubly within seconds and they, too, swarmed around Mewtwo's barrier. The cloned Legend attempted to fire yet another one with increased strength, but stopped when he heard a sparking, hissing noise. He turned his head and, to his shock, a part of his barrier was beginning to _melt_ before his very eyes.

"What the?!" He quickly teleported outside the barrier, and when he looked down to it, he found that the Cells had pulled it towards the wall of the tree and they began to do what he could only describe as _devouring_ it before his very eyes. They broke it, tore it apart and absorbed it into themselves.

"What the hell are they doing?!"

"Imbecile!" Roared Rayquaza, flying down to meet him, "Do you have _any_ idea how lucky you are to be alive?! If you hadn't teleported out of there, you would have been subjected to a fate worse than death!"

"I didn't exactly see _you_ helping out," Mewtwo pointed out.

Rayquaza growled in frustration. "If I did that, you'd just end up getting hit in the crossfire and absorbed! Not to mention, these things adapt to your attacks! If I kept blasting at them, it would eventually stop working altogether."

"That would have been helpful to know before I rushed directly into the middle of them."

" _You did that on your own accord, moron!_ "

"Right, right," Conceded Mewtwo, "So what's our next course of action, _o' wise one?_ "

Ignoring the sarcasm, Rayquaza turned toward the sky, "Our next course of action is leaving. We never should have come here in the first place, and we've achieved nothing besides useless destruction of our own forces against Necrozma!"

"We will be doing no such thing," Mewtwo said intently, "Without the power of Mega Evolution, I'll be nothing more than a ragdoll against Necrozma."

"Then we'll try _my_ method," Rayquaza spoke with obvious ire, "We'll achieve nothing by remaining here, and there's no way we'll get past the Cells."

Mewtwo scoffed in annoyance, but conceded nonetheless. "Very well. I suppose Dragon Ascent might at least be survivable, as opposed to those things."

"At last, you see reason," Rayquaza said with a grin returning to his face, "Now, let's get out of-"

" _Going so soon?_ "

The two of them whipped around. They could have sworn another voice spoke out to them from behind, but when they turned to identify who or what it was, they found nothing.

"You heard that too, right?" Mewtwo asked.

Rayquaza nodded. "Yeah...but what could it have-ack!"

Their bodies were constricted against their wills all of a sudden. A light pink glow had surrounded them in the form of three glowing rings that held them fast in place. Mewtwo pushed against the force with his Psychic powers, but to his shock they did nothing. He then tried to summon a barrier, but it was shattered immediately under the pressure. Now irritated, the clone Pokemon teleported out of the binding rings, only for them to fly to his location, trap him again, and bring him back over to his initial position.

"What is this?!" Mewtwo demanded, squirming uselessly within the binding.

Then, a figure appeared before them, and Rayquaza paled as if he was staring death in the face. The figure was as pink as the rings binding the two of them, and it was feline-looking in its' structure. A tail with a bulbous end swished back and forth hypnotically as its' shimmering blue eyes pierced into theirs. This figure was Mew, the Queen of all Pokemon and the genetic ancestor to all who live on Earth, and she looked far from happy.

"Hello boys," She spoke, "Where do you think you're going?"

"L-lady Mew!" Exclaimed Rayquaza. He made an attempt to bow, but the bindings held him in place. Nevertheless, he continued, "W-we were just leaving!"

"I beg to differ, actually," Mewtwo said arrogantly, causing Rayquaza to inwardly shriek in terror, "Now that you're here, we can actually speak."

Mew raised an eyebrow at her genetic double. "Speak? Unless it's regarding why the two of you are currently invading the Tree of Life, battling my guardians and then attempting to flee without explaining yourself, the only thing we'll be discussing is why I shouldn't simply feed you to the tree to make up for the damage you've caused."

Without a hint of fear, Mewtwo merely smirked at her arrogantly and replied, "Because frankly, you cannot afford to lose us. Our world needs as much firepower as it can get if we are to destroy, or at least repel, Necrozma."

Mew laughed. "Oh, truly? From what I heard, you two battled against Necrozma one after another and availed nothing for it."

"Which is exactly why we are here," Said Mewtwo, "Our power alone is insufficient. I have come here seeking the ability to Mega Evolve."

"You're making a lot of assumptions," Mew scoffed, "I explicitly gave you two permission to practice Mega Evolution _above_ the tree. Alone, coming down here was an offense I could have overlooked, seeing our current situation." Her glare intensified, paralyzing Rayquaza with fear. Mewtwo, despite being trapped in his counterpart's bindings, met her glare with one of his own.

"What you have done is far more than an offense," She hissed, "You speak of increasing our firepower against Necrozma, yet you battle against the guardian Regis and attempt to do the same with the Cells. Not to mention all the damage you have caused."

"It was them who attacked us," Mewtwo hissed back, "Before they did so, we came with no intent of destruction. We fought purely in self defense."

"I told you when you and Rayquaza initially asked to train inside the tree," Started Mew, "The Tree of Life is under strict security! Nothing is to be allowed inside or out, which is why I told you to stay _above_ it! It was because the defense system was set to be as strict as possible!"

"If we managed to defeat it, then it would have meant nothing to Necrozma!"

"Oh, really?" Asked Mew, "You defeated it? I admit, you managed to strike down the Regis, but from what I overheard, you were about to leave specifically because you couldn't do anything to the Cells."

Without waiting for a riposte, Mew turned away from her clone and focused her gaze down into the abyss below. Mewtwo was about to ask what she was doing when, suddenly, the colossal branch Rayquaza had severed with his Dragon Ascent began floating up out from the darkness amidst a pink glow and re-attached itself to the broken veins. The pink glow intensified, and the damage done to it seemed to be reverting on its' own. Soon enough, the giant branch had returned to its' original position, and the Cells retreated back through the skin of the tree.

"Look," Mew said, turning to fix the other damage Mewtwo and Rayquaza had caused in their battles, "You can't stay here. The Pokemon are already panicked enough as it is, and your arrival here has only set them into further chaos. Not to mention that I doubt you'll find the ability to Mega Evolve here."

"What do you mean?" Mewtwo asked her, "This is the highest concentration of Aura on the planet! If the ability to Mega Evolve existed for me, it would be here!"

"Exactly," Replied Mew, "Aura is the spiritual makeup of every living thing." Her eyes narrowed at him. "Every _natural_ living thing, which is a category you don't exactly fit into."

Mewtwo felt a rage he'd suppressed ever since the day of his creation and, later, betrayal by the man who ordered his creation bubbling back up. "I beg your pardon?"

"Oh, don't give me that look," Said Mew, "You know full well what I'm talking about. The Mega Stones are fit to evolve specific Pokemon that are born here. They're not for everyone, including most living things. Not even I can perform Mega Evolution. Heck, not even Arceus can! You weren't born naturally. You were created to mirror me, who again, cannot Mega Evolve. The Aura won't react the same to you as it would to another living being, so there's no use trying."

"You don't know that!" Mewtwo seethed, "I am a living being too! I see, think and feel as any other! I breathe as any other! When we parted ways on that day...back at the island when that human, Ash, sacrificed himself to halt our battling, I thought you believed the same." He glared furiously into her gaze. "I. Am not. You."

The damage to the tree had been fully undone now, and Mew sighed now that her work was complete, and also at Mewtwo. In truth, she didn't truly know what to think of him. At first, she was curious as to how his life essence felt so similar to her own, which drew her to that island. When she'd learned of his origin and goals at that island, she considered his existence an affront to her own, but when she first saw the inner turmoil he was going through after the incident with Arceus's chosen one, she didn't quite know what to think of him and left him be. Yet still, every instance she met with him, an irritation similar to an itch she could never rid herself of coursed throughout her. She begrudgingly let him near the tree in the hopes he would be satisfied with that alone, but now she saw that wasn't the case.

"...In truth, I never considered you to be a living creature," She admitted. Immediately, she could feel Mewtwo's rage without him even saying anything. "...As the progenitor to all life on this planet, alongside Arceus of course, I considered your existence an insult. You, who were created by a fragmented shell of my eyelash, felt to me like something that simply...didn't belong."

"You...have no right to say that," Seethed Mewtwo, "For that exact reason! You created all life _except_ for me! You have no right to dictate my destiny!"

"If your so-called destiny conflicts with my own, then I do," Mew countered, "And besides, I don't feel like that anymore. For the most part at least."

Mewtwo's temper cooled down a tad. "...Is that so?"

"Don't get ahead of yourself," Mew added quickly, "That isn't exactly to say I feel...comfortable with you yet. I simply concede that you are a living being, but that's all." She shook her head. "Anyways, I've gotten off track. My point is that, while you indeed _are_ living, you are not naturally born of this world. Therefore, you cannot Mega Evolve, and there is no reason for me to let you into the Tree of Life to try."

"But I was born from your genetics," Mewtwo pointed out, "And your genetics carry the DNA of every Pokemon, including all the ones that can Mega Evolve."

Mew shook her head. "True as that may be, you were born from my direct genetics, and from ancient petrified ones, no less. The Pokemon of today that can Mega Evolve likely never existed at the time I dropped that eyelash. Not to mention…" She leaned in towards Mewtwo. " _I can't Mega Evolve_! If I can't do it, there's no way you can."

"You don't know that," Insisted Mewtwo, "Like I said, I am not you. We are different, so there's no way either of us will ever know until I try. But to do that, I need access into the tree."

"Not happening."

Mewtwo's eyes narrowed at her. "Then I will force my way in."

Mew chuckled. "Oh, really? Do we really need to go over how well your attempts at defeating the Cells went? Not to mention who's grasp you're currently trapped in."

"She's got a point," Rayquaza piped up.

Mew smiled appreciatively up at him. "Thank you, Rayquaza. Finally, someone with sense around here."

Mewtwo turned up to him angrily. "Who's side are you on?!" He hissed.

"The side that doesn't get us both killed!" Rayquaza hissed back, "I shouldn't have to remind you that our streak of luck here hasn't exactly been in our favor, so it's in our best interests to, you know _not_ act like arrogant fools and die here as traitors for a useless fool's errand!"

"It's not useless," Mewtwo persisted, "I need to obtain that power by any means necessary!"

"Why," Mew cut in abruptly, "Do you even feel the need to chase after Mega Evolution so stubbornly anyways?" Her gaze narrowed. "Let me guess. It's your pride, isn't it? It's been scathed and broken by Necrozma in your little spat, and now you want an easy source of extra power to take vengeance against him with. Is that it?"

Mewtwo's face darkened. "...No."

Mew scowled. "So it _is_ that! You came to violate my home and destroy its' defenses during a crucial period of preparation _all so_ you could have a petty chance of vengeance! Did you not stop to think for a _second_ as to what that would do to the Pokemon and other life forms living here?!" Her gaze darkened with rage, causing Rayquaza to flinch. "That's pathetic and selfish! What kind of-"

" _Silence!_ " Boomed Mewtwo. He roared in rage, blasting his power out in all directions. Violent sparks of violet, crackling Psychic energy exploded out from his body in all directions and pushed against his bindings. "Don't think you know me! You know _nothing_ of me!" To Mew's surprise and Rayquaza's utter shock, Mewtwo began successfully pushing the pink bindings outward away from himself.

Mewtwo's eyes went white and his pupils disappeared. His bellowing only furthered, and the bright cherry-colored rings keeping him held in place wavered as the rate of his energy dispersal heightened by the second.

"That's...impossible!" Mew exclaimed in shock, "How is he breaking through that?! The only one with enough power to do something like that is Arceus!"

"You think I am doing this for a pathetic reason like vengeance?!" A raging orb of plasmatic purple energy formed around the artificial clone of Mew, which successfully pushed the rings out further and caused them to start sparking erratically. "You call me selfish?! You would dare talk to me about disregarding life?!" The orb expanded suddenly as his rage influenced its' growth, making the rings begin to lose their shape around him. "Why don't you try staring into a mirror?! You, who would willingly cast living beings into those Cells and let them act as fuel for all of eternity while their soul and consciousness are trapped within?! You, who would set your guardians upon anything that dared to cross your lands, whether they be Pokemon or human alike?!"

Mewtwo held his arms out to his sides and pushed with all his might against his bindings. The rings began crackling violently and losing their form. "You're a hypocrite! You have no place to lecture _me_ about a disregard for life, when preserving it was my very basis for coming here!"

Mew's eyes widened. "W-what?"

"I cherish life more than anything," He bellowed, "And I would never willingly harm an innocent life!" He hissed in pain suddenly as his power output slipped for a moment, allowing the rings to close back in on him slightly. Nevertheless, he held fast and, even though his muscles were trembling, kept pushing outward against the rings. "I told you this once, didn't I?! That your station of birth doesn't matter, and it was what one did with the gift of life that measured their worth!" The rings closed back in on him again, leaving only a shrunken shield between him and them. "I...have a family…! Clones such as I…! I wish to protect them…! Not only them, but others! All living things!" The rings beset upon him once more and the shield shattered, but still, he pushed against the rings with his own Psychic powers to keep them at bay.

His eyes shot open and he glared into Mew's widened eyes. "I want to protect them because...I, too am a living being...but…!" He cried out as he felt a snap, and the rings closed in on him to the point that there was but a few inches between himself and them. "I cannot do it as I am! Necrozma taught me that..!"

He recalled Necrozma's dark words he imparted unto him. " _ **Very well. Then before you die, your last thoughts will be of those you failed to protect.**_ "

"As long as I am weak, I will never be able to protect what I love from Necrozma! So I-ack!" Mewtwo began collapsing under the pressure, and Mew found herself, for some reason, longing to reach out to help him. It was a fleeting urge in the back of her mind, and she quickly caught herself, but the oddity of it made her stare down at herself in confusion and disbelief.

"But I…" Mewtwo pushed outward once more. "Will never…" The pink psychic rings blasted outward as a sudden tremendous force from Mewtwo pushed them. To Mew's further shock, deep blue specks of light came floating out from the various tunnels of the tree and were absorbed into Mewtwo's body.

' _What?!_ ' She exclaimed inwardly, ' _He's absorbing the Aura! How?! He's not a natural living being, so he shouldn't be able to…_ "

"I...will never...yield!" Mewtwo roared valiantly, "So long as a breath still remains in my body, I will never give up! I will never give in! I will protect all that is dear to me, even if it means getting through you!"

As the blue specks coated Mewtwo's body, he was enveloped in a sudden white glow. With a deafening roar, he released all of his energy and the rings binding both him and Rayquaza were blasted apart to smithereens. Rayquaza flinched, expecting the sudden blinding blast to impact him, but to his shock, it merely erased the rings trapping him and sailed harmlessly past him. Mew was not so lucky. The white and purple explosion of Mewtwo's will to protect all he loved crashed into Mew with a level of power she didn't expect, causing her to crash into the wall of the tree behind her.

In utter disbelief, all Mew, the Goddess of all Pokemon, could say was, "What?!"

She was pinned against the wall and her eyes were forced shut as Mewtwo's sudden burst of power nearly flattened her. She forced her eyes open and saw a white figure in the midst of it all. It looked similar to Mewtwo, yet different. While having the same body, it lacked a tail and instead had some kind of extension dropping down the back of its' head. Though, that was the only difference she could make out. Mewtwo's body was entirely coated in a blinding light.

Mewtwo roared again, and the force of his power increased. The walls surrounding her were shattered and disintegrated, reduced to nothing more than ash as she became more and more embedded in the thick walls of the tree. She hissed in annoyance and blasted outward with her own energy.

"Enough," She shouted.

Mewtwo's sudden burst of energy was overwhelmed completely by Mew's, and the Goddess Pokemon's vivid pink Psychic energy overtook Mewtwo's radiant white one. What was left was Mewtwo, reverted back to his original form, hanging loosely in her grip and staring up into the sky with wide, shocked eyes. Rayquaza quickly floated down to his side and Mew was tempted to regain her hold over him as well, but decided to leave him be for now.

"Mewtwo!" Shouted Rayquaza, "Are you alright?!"

"He's fine," Mew told him as the damage to the wall behind her was undone by a pink glow, "Just left in a state of shock."

"But what happened to him?! Where did that sudden burst of power come from?!"

Mew pursed her lip and looked away. She knew, deep within her mind, exactly what had happened but was unwilling to admit it even to herself. Mewtwo blinked suddenly, and his consciousness returned to him. He looked around in a bewildered state, first up to the fleeting specks of blue light decorating their surroundings, then up to Rayquaza and finally, to Mew. He tried to move, but found himself bound in Mew's grip and frowned. Mew couldn't help but gain a small tinge of satisfaction from his defeated expression.

"What...what happened?" He uttered breathlessly.

Rayquaza looked down at him, up to Mew, and back down to him once more. "I think...I think you Mega Evolved!"

"It was nothing more than a fluke," Insisted Mew, " You gained a brief power due to your resolve, but that's all. Nothing akin to Mega Evolution happened." She looked away from Mewtwo and down towards the abyss below. Her eyes glowed pink, and three familiar figures appeared. The Regis were brought back up from their fall and placed upon a nearby branch.

To say the guardians of the Tree of Life looked worse for wear was an understatement. Regice's body was shattered in some places and completely missing in others. Regirock's body was cracked and broken down into rubble, and its' limbs were missing. Though Registeel had no apparent damage done to it, the steel golem was beeping and twitching sporadically, making glitched, warped versions of the noises it did before. Mew's eyes flashed white and a pink glow surrounded the three Regis, reverting the damage done to them. The three of them looked around in confusion until they saw Mew. They began beeping once more up at her, then retreated into the tunnels to fulfill their duties once more.

"...But," Mew said at last, "To say that you haven't peaked my curiosity would be a lie. Come, follow me. I'll allow you to test yourself within the tree, if only to prove myself right."

Rayquaza's mouth went agape. "W-wait, are you serious, Lady Mew?"

"Are you complaining? Or would you rather I go with my original plan of feeding you to the Cells?"

"O-of course not, milady," Rayquaza stammered, bowing to her, "Come, Mewtwo, let us move!"

Rayquaza went to allow the clone Pokemon to ride upon his back, and Mew released her grip on him. Mewtwo, however, pushed himself off of Rayquaza and began floating on his own. "I am more than capable of moving," He insisted.

Rayquaza simply replied with, "Suit yourself," and went to follow Mew. Mewtwo felt the urge to glare at Mew for her earlier statement about casting them into the Cells, but merely gave her an arrogant grin. She responded with one of her own, and ushered him to follow her. Chuckling to himself, Mewtwo followed the two of them inside the tree.

As the trio entered the large tunnel, Mewtwo and Rayquaza gaped up at their surroundings. The inside was not as grey as the out, and the walls were comprised of a reddish-brown color. More interestingly to the duo was the seemingly-endless strain of what appeared to be blue vines stretched across those walls. They radiated a faint cyan glow, and appeared to be somewhat transparent. There were also large crystals that sometimes dwarfed Mewtwo in size strewn about the path.

"So, this is the tree?" Asked Mewtwo.

Mew turned around to face him, floating backwards as the trio traveled within. "I trust it is to your expectations?"

Mewtwo chuckled. "I suppose so."

Mew chuckled back.

Rayquaza asked Mew, "So, why did you change the Tree's defenses to attack Pokemon? I know it does not endanger the ones living here, but eventually some Pokemon will be coming here to take refuge."

"Simple." Answered Mew, "Necrozma could attack at any time, and we don't even know what his "Ultra Beasts" look like. For all we know, they could have the ability to transform, enter the tree and wreak havoc. I cannot allow that." She looked up towards the roof of the tunnel. "Not to mention, most of the Pokemon are heading towards Goldenrod City as we speak. Disguising as a weaker Pokemon looking to take refuge within the tree would be the perfect cover, so unfortunately, I have to be a bit dispassionate at the moment."

"...Tell me," Said Mewtwo, "These traps originally were set up for humans. I don't particularly welcome their presence either, but what made you deem them a threat that must be kept out at all times?"

Mew looked down towards him. "Well, over the course of their existence, there have been a few nutcases who, for some reason or another, have tried to infiltrate, take over or even destroy the Tree of Life on occasion."

"I assume at least some of them had to have had some success," Mewtwo said, "If the defense system is so rigid."

Mew laughed. "Hardly. Pokemon have always lived here, so when the first group of people came in, they were taken care of rather quickly. The Cells were the tree's doing, not mine, but I did bring in the Regis to help out as well." She turned around to face forward once more, waving him off nonchalantly. "Trust me," She said, "There's no way for a human to get far within this place, much less destroy it."

"I see," Conceded Mewtwo, "How far, then, did the farthest human go?"

Mew stopped in her tracks and closed her eyes. She remembered a time where a group of people, alongside a very special Lucario, had infiltrated the Tree of Life to rescue a Pikachu that she had taken as a playmate. Mew expected them to be slain, but grew interested in them as they persisted. As she expected, the humans of the group eventually came face to face with the Cells and were absorbed, but when the Pokemon cried over their apparent demise, she reversed the effect at the cost of her, and the Tree's, life. She was utterly shocked when one of the humans offered their own life to save hers, as another human did thousands of years before. Though, the Lucario ended up doing it for him.

She noticed a familiar flower on the ground by her feet. It was a Time Flower, a flower that grew within the Tree of Life. It was called the Time Flower because their reflective surfaces could trap images within them, allowing those who saw into the flower to see what happened in the past. She picked it up created a pink glow around it and handed it off to Mewtwo, who tentatively took it with a confused look.

"What is this?" He asked.

"It's a Time Flower," Answered Mew, "And it will answer your question. All you have to do is look into its' petals."

Mewtwo raised a questioning eyebrow, but did as she told him. Rayquaza leaned in to see what she meant as well. Mewtwo let out a shocked gasp as visions of the past began replaying themselves upon the flower's petals. A group of humans and Pokemon ran throughout the tree, fending off the Regis and traversing through the vast array of tunnels. That part, however, was not what shocked him. One of the humans was a person he could never forget. It was Ash Ketchum, the boy who had momentarily sacrificed himself to halt his battle with Mew and taught him greater meaning to life than superiority over another. Ash was also, as he had just found out via Arceus's announcement, Arceus's chosen human.

"He was here too?!"

Mew chuckled at her clone's reaction. "Indeed he was. I suppose you could call him and those other humans who accompanied him the farthest-reaching humans to ever come here, though unlike the others, their intent wasn't malicious."

Mewtwo shook his head in mild disbelief. "Of course it would be him," He said with a chuckle, "It seems that boy...no...it seems that Ash has a tendency to stick his nose into the Legends' affairs."

"Well, he _is_ Arceus's chosen one," Said Mew, "I suppose those two facts are interconnected."

Rayquaza hummed in thought as he stared down into the reflective petals. "That kid seems familiar…" He mused.

Unable to quite pinpoint the source of his deja-vu, Rayquaza merely shrugged and continued forward with Mew. Mewtwo placed the flower back down and did the same. Eventually, they came upon a large room. Crystal growths stretched up and down from the roof towards the center, where yet even more of the shimmering gems were piled on top of one another in slim, sharp spires. Two crystals formed a circle on the center of the floor and ceiling respectively. Between the two large crystal formations, a large flow of Aura was constantly raining down from the ceiling and into the floor like a shimmering waterfall. Mewtwo and Rayquaza were rendered utterly mesmerized by the sight.

"What...is this?" Uttered Mewtwo.

"This," Spoke Mew, flying up towards the large Aura flow, "Is the greatest source of Aura on the planet." She held her hands out gallantly. "We are currently within the center of the Tree of Life! This very spot was where Arceus and I first formed this planet billions of years ago."

"Wait, _here_?" Exclaimed Mewtwo, looking up and down about the crystal formations lining the walls. "This...is where our planet began…?"

Rayquaza could only bring himself to utter, "This is...this place, it's…" The draconian guardian Legend's eyes sparkled in wonderment. "...Incredible…"

Mew nodded, hanging her arms back to her sides once more. "Indeed. You know, this place has another name besides the Tree of Life." She stared up towards the roof. A smile came to her face as she recalled the days long since passed where she and Arceus united their powers of creation in this very spot. "...It is also called the Tree of Beginning. It is named that because, as I have said before, this very place was where not only all life on this planet, but this planet itself came to be."

She turned back down towards them and quickly followed up with, "But enough history lessons! Come, step before the Aura! If you can possibly learn Mega Evolution, this is the only place on the planet where it would be possible."

Mewtwo nodded in affirmation and levitated himself up so that he was face to face with the Aura flow. It was much more savage than he expected, shooting downward like an intensified Flamethrower. He gulped and accumulated all the remaining willpower left in his exhausted body, then leaned forward with his hand outstretched. His eyes shot open and became bloodshot as the feeling of burning surged through his hand the moment he made contact.

The clone Pokemon quickly tore his hand away from the Aura surge and hissed in pain, gripping at his burning hand. The intense blue flames of Aura crackled furiously about on his hand, and he tried to use his Psychic powers to suppress it, to no avail. From behind Mewtwo, Mew laughed at his attempt.

"See?" She exclaimed, "It's just as I said! There's no possible way you can Mega Evolve when I, the progenitor of all life, cannot!"

Mewtwo growled at her in frustration and forced his burning hand back into the scorching Aura. Immediately, pain ripped throughout his body and he could no longer force back the agonized scream he held in the back of his throat. Still, he persisted. He tried with all his might to will the Aura to him, but still, nothing happened but the continuous scorching of his hand.

"Mewtwo!" Rayquaza cried out. Changing into his Mega Form, Rayquaza went to Mewtwo's aid and tried to pull him from the raging falling Aura, to no avail.

"It's no use," Mew told the two of them, "There's no way Mewtwo will be able to control that sheer concentration of Aura, and you, Rayquaza, cannot pull him out. Only he can do that now, but with that pride of his, he won't allow it."

"You're right," Mewtwo rasped between pained breaths, "I won't allow it!" He turned his head to Rayquaza and gave him an appreciative smile. "Thank you for your assistance, Rayquaza, but I assure you." His eyes glinted blue for but a moment, but it was enough for Rayquaza. Grinning back down to Mewtwo, Rayquaza patted him on the shoulder and let him go. "Very well," Said the draconian Legend, "You've got this."

Nodding, Mewtwo focused back onto the Aura flow and placed his other hand within it. He winced in agony, but kept holding on despite it. " _Hear me, Aura_!" He bellowed, " _I beseech you! Please, help me in my time of need!_ "

Mew rolled her eyes and took a seat upon one of the flat-topped crystals. "It's futile. One such as you could never bend the Aura to your will."

"You're...right," Mewtwo conceded. His eyes were forced shut from the strain. "But...my objective was never to bend it to my will…"

Mew tilted her head in confusion. "What? Then how do you expect the Aura to obey?"

"In my time on this planet," Mewtwo started, "I've come to realize many things about life…it is not malleable! As someone who once tried to bend all life to my will, I have realized that it cannot be bent! So long as living beings have will, they will not falter!" He winced again, nearly falling to his knees. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself back to his full height. "Aura...if it is what makes up all living things, then...it must be the same!"

Mew nodded. "You're right. The Aura will bend to no one's will. So, hotshot, if you know that, how do you plan on using it to Mega Evolve?"

"Force of will...will to overpower the will of another...will never work! Only by coexisting with one another can a living being attain true power!" Mewtwo flared his amethyst-colored Psychic energy. "So I...do not command you, Aura, to empower me...I plead with you...please, give me the power to protect what I love!"

Mew looked away from the scene, quickly losing interest. That was, until a blue speck flew past her face. Then another. Then yet another. Countless more specks of blue Aura flowed out from the the tunnels and onto Mewtwo's body, coating him in a brilliant white light once more.

"Again?!" Exclaimed a surprised Mew. She shook her head rapidly in denial. "No, this can't…"

Rayquaza's grin only grew with his rising excitement. "Come on, Mewtwo," He urged, "You've got this!"

Though the specks littered Mewtwo's body, the coursing flow of Aura before him remained truant before his plight. It remained unwavering. Nevertheless, Mewtwo kept going. The specks of Aura surrounding him fueled him. They pushed his power, as if telling him to keep going. Mewtwo closed his eyes as more of the specks surrounded him, coating him in the brilliant light completely. Then, Mewtwo stepped forward.

Mew jumped up from her seat and cried out, "Don't go in there! You won't be able to withstand it!"

Whether Mewtwo simply could no longer hear her, or was ignoring her orders completely, she didn't know. Mewtwo placed one foot into the Aura surge. Neither Rayquaza or Mew could tell if he was in pain because of it. Soon after, he placed his other foot into the Aura, and was completely overtaken. His form began to warp, and parts of his body were being dragged down into the void beneath. His legs were stretched down and began to lose shape. Parts of the light surrounding him were beginning to be dragged off with the rest of the Aura like dust in the wind.

Mewtwo's body warped drastically, and he lost his shape completely. After being stretched beyond recognition by the sheer force of the Aura, he was reduced to nothing more than white dust. Mew and Rayquaza could only look on in horror.

The dust was beginning to get dragged down towards the bottom crystal. More and more of it disappeared into the void, until finally, there was only a singular speck left. A tiny one, hardly the size of a grain of sand, was all that was left of Mewtwo.

Then, to Mew's shock, a white speck began to float back up against the raging blue Aura flow. Many more followed suit, rekindling themselves as they reached the last speck once more. They flowed around him like stars, swirling about. Then, to the utter shock of Mew and Rayquaza, a voice spoke out from the glowing dust.

" _...Please, Aura...I wish with all my heart to protect life...to protect you...but to do that, I need your strength...I need the power to repel Necrozma and save this world I love so much…"_

A high-pitched, shrill noise rang out from somewhere, and then Rayquaza and Mew were blinded by light.

When the light faded, the two of them dared to open their eyes, and what they found made them gape in utter disbelief. Mewtwo appeared once more, crouching on his knees with his face down toward the ground. However, his form was far from what it used to be. His tail had disappeared, and in its' place was an elongated growth of some kind from the back of his head. Half of a halo-shaped growth also appeared on his head. On Mewtwo's arms and legs was some kind of thick, plated armor, and he had two deep-purple rings on his shoulders.

Mewtwo's eyes opened at last and he stood back to his full height. He stared out towards Rayquaza and Mew, who's shocked expressions hadn't changed. In confusion, Mewtwo stared down towards himself, and then realized why they stared at him that way. He marveled over his new appearance, looking himself up and down. A grin came to his face finally.

"...I did it…"

Rayquaza, still in his own Mega Form, rushed down to meet him with an ecstatic grin upon his face. "By Arceus, you actually did it!" He cheered, grabbing Mewtwo by his shoulders and spinning him around. "I knew you had it in you!"

Mewtwo mirrored the scope of Rayquaza's grin and nodded. "Indeed. Were it not for you, I would have never been able to obtain this power...but…" He turned back up to the raging flow of Aura and knelt, bowing his head. "Thank you," He spoke to the tree and the Aura, "I will put this power to good use…that, I promise…"

He got back up to his feet and turned towards Mew. "Of course, I must thank you too. Had you not allowed us inside, I would have never-"

He stopped in his tracks suddenly due to Mew's expression. It was some warped mixture of disbelief, denial and rage.

"Th-there's no way! Not even I can Mega Evolve! I, the progenitor of all life, cannot obtain this power! There's no way you could...yes that's it…" She eyed him with a maniacal grin. "Yes, that's it! It's just a fluke! It's false, it's not real, it cannot be!"

"It is very real," Mewtwo told her, stepping forward. Without willing it, Mew backed up away from him.

Her face darkened suddenly. "...is that so…?"

Before either Mewtwo or Rayquaza could blink, they were warped above the tree. The reddish-brown caves disappeared from sight and were replaced with the pitch black night sky. Mew appeared before them with her own power raging outward in a series of Psychic waves.

" _I'LL NEED TO TEST THAT POWER FOR MYSELF!_ "

Rayquaza was barely holding on, and Mew's power threatened to blow him away with every passing second. Mewtwo flinched and brought up a barrier to brace himself for impact, and to his surprise, found none.

Mewtwo let the barrier go and found that his counterpart's power barely affected him at all. In fact, to his excitement and Mew's horror, it didn't even faze him. Mew roared with rage and flew down at him. Mewtwo grinned up at her and rocketed towards her as well. They clashed, sending out a massive blast of energy in all directions that sent Rayquaza flying away.

"W-what?!" Demanded Mew. To her utter horror, the clash hadn't blown Mewtwo away completely. In fact, he was matching her power with a confident grin plastered on his face. The cloned Pokemon swiped his arm out at her, sending the Goddess of all Pokemon flying away. She righted herself in the air quickly and glared down at him with fury.

Her eyes glowed white as she blasted him with her Psychic energy, to which he dispelled it with a mere backhand. Before Mew could hope to dodge, Mewtwo blitzed up to her and delivered a punch straight into her abdomen that made her double over. Then, he summoned a Shadow Ball in that hand, which sent her flying farther into the air. With the snap of Mewtwo's finger, the Shadow Ball exploded in a mass of black plasmatic energy that blew apart the clouds themselves, exposing the bright white moon behind them.

The figure of Mew was shadowed out by the light of the moon, but Mewtwo could guess the expression she had on right about now. Mew rushed down and attempted to deliver an Iron Tail attack to Mewtwo's head, which he blocked with the plated armor upon his arm. He grabbed onto Mew's tail, making her cry out, and swung it around himself. He threw her down towards the ground beneath with such force that surprised even himself.

As Mew sailed down helplessly, Mewtwo stared at his own arm in disbelief, flexing his fingers. "This...this power is unreal…" An ecstatic grin crept up the side of his face. "So, this is Mega Evolution!"

A pillar of flame rocketed at him from below, which he dodged rather easily by simply leaning backwards. Mew appeared above her double and impacted him with a Volt Tackle, sending up waves of savage, crackling energy darting across the night sky. Mewtwo, however, managed to block the attack with a barrier, but was sent flying backwards by the sheer force behind Mew's attack.

Despite this, Mewtwo couldn't help but to chuckle. "Of course. Even with this new power of mine, you are still on the same scale of power as Arceus himself."

"Thanks for the flattery," Mew hissed down at him with a dark glare, "But it will get you nowhere!" She rushed at him again, surrounded by a swirling cone of white and yellow crackling energy. "Giga Impact!"

Mewtwo held out his arms and, to even his own surprise, managed to catch the attack.

"W-what?! That's impossible!" Exclaimed Mew. Mewtwo managed to push her upwards, leaning his head back so that his chin, which was mere inches from the swirling cone of vibrant energy, wasn't hit. He unleashed a savage knee attack into Mew's abdomen, making her double over, and then threw her into the air. He smirked and hurled a one-handed Shadow Ball at her, which ended up carrying her far into the sky out of view.

An odd sense of deja vu came over the cloned Pokemon suddenly. "Wait a moment...something about this seems familiar…" His eyes widened as the memory came back to him, and he quickly sidestepped just in time for his own Shadow Ball to sail down past him like a rocket, with Mew in tow.

"Wait, wait, wait," She cried out, shaking her head, "That hit you last time!"

Mewtwo chuckled. "Times have changed, Mew."

Growling in frustration, Mew bolted towards him with an Extreme Speed attack. To Mewtwo, the world around him seemed to stop except for his opponent and himself. A series of afterimages appeared one after another behind Mew, indicating to Mewtwo that she was moving at incredible speeds. To him, however, she appeared to be slower than a snail. He summoned a Shadow Ball and let it hang in midair in front of him, then floated over to Mew's side. Then, time seemed to resume as normal.

Immediately, Mew crashed into the shadowy attack and was sent careening across the deep dark sky. She managed to stop her momentum and turned back to her clone with fury in her eyes. Between her hands, blue lightning began crackling violently, scattering its' bolts across the night sky as she charged the attack. Mewtwo put up a barrier to stop the stray bolts.

The Electric attack of Mew was interrupted suddenly by a Hyper Beam from somewhere underneath her, forcing her to stop the attack to dodge out of the way. From the black abyss below, Rayquaza appeared.

A mischievous glint appeared in Mew's eyes. ' _Perfect._ '

"Stop this!" Roared Rayquaza, "Now is not the time for petty battling amongst one another! Mewtwo has achieved what we sought, so please, Lady Mew, let us- w-WHA-"

Mew suddenly teleported to Rayquaza and grabbed him by the muzzle before either he or Mewtwo could react. Scowling, Mewtwo attempted to teleport to them as well to knock her away, but before he could, Mew looked back at him with a mocking grin, and then the world went white, forcing Mewtwo to shield his eyes with his arm. Mew used Flash to blind the both of them.

' _Just as planned!'_ She congratulated herself, ' _Now, then. Onto the next phase of my plan_."

Once the light had died down, Mewtwo was able to lay his arm back down to his side, but what he saw made him gasp out in shock. Before him, two Rayquaza's, both in their Mega Forms, were staring at one another with just as much, if not more so, shock as him. They first gaped at one another, copying one another's movements like a mirror. They then held out an arm at their side in perfect sync. Narrowing their eyes, the two of them began flying about, coiling around themselves. Yet even with one Rayquaza's precise, complex movements, the other followed without issue. They both stopped their mirrored flight displays and butted heads, growling and glaring into the other's eyes. Finally, they gave up on attempting to de-sync their movements and turned to Mewtwo.

"Mewtwo," One of them called out, "Take out this faker!"

"Faker?!" The other screeched, "I think _you_ ' _re_ the fake Rayquaza around he-"

"I'll make you eat those words!"

They butted heads once more and continued their furious growling and pushing against one another to try and prove their dominance. Yet, their power seemed to be completely equalized, resulting in no headway between them being made. Mewtwo, meanwhile, scanned the both of them with his Psychic powers to try and find a difference between them. To his surprise, he found none. He scanned every aspect of them down to their very cells, but there was no distinguishable difference between them whatsoever.

"I must admit," Mewtwo said to himself aloud, "Mew certainly doesn't sweat the details when using Transform...so…"

The duo of Rayquazas clashed their heads together once more, gripping at the other's neck with their claws.

"I'm the real one!" One shouted.

"No, I am!" The other followed.

They growled furiously at each other, baring their teeth as they continued to push against each other. Their anger quickly turned to shock when the both of them were blasted suddenly by a Psychic pulse. They turned in its' direction and found Mewtwo looking their way with his arm outstretched.

"H-hey!" They cried unanimously, pointing at each other, "They're the fake one! Why are you attacking me?!"

"To whichever one of you is real, sorry about this," Apologized Mewtwo, flaring up his purple energy around himself, "But I cannot distinguish any differences between the two of you…" He stretched his arms down at his sides and summoned two colossal Shadow Balls. "...And so, if I am to win this battle, I must declare both of you an enemy."

"W-what?!" One Rayquaza stammered, reeling his head back, "N-no! Please, Mewtwo! You have to trust me!"

"No, trust me!" Shouted the other, "That one's the fake, not me!"

Ignoring them, Mewtwo flung the two colossal orbs of shadow at the both of them, forcing them to fire Hyper Beams to block the incoming attacks. Mewtwo snapped his fingers, causing the two Shadow Balls to detonate. They were sent careening backward through the sky and Mewtwo burst through the ensuing smoke cloud of his attacks, grabbing both Rayquazas with Psychic and slamming them together, then blasted them away with a one-handed Hyper Beam.

The two Rayquazas crashed into the ground loudly, kicking up a large cloud of dust. Shaking off the debris, they took to the skies once more and glared at one another. "Stop pretending to be me! Mewtwo blasted us because of you!" The other one shouted back, " _Me?!_ If it wasn't for you, Mewtwo wouldn't have attacked us! Please, Lady Mew, stop this nonsense! We have more important matters!" "What are you talking about?!" Demanded the other one, "Please, Lady Mew, Necrozma is on his way as we speak! If we keep this up, we'll just be weakening ourselves!"

"Then transform back to normal!"

"I am normal! _You're_ the one that transformed to look like me!"

One of them growled furiously. "Fine, then! I know I'm no match for Lady Mew, but talking will get us nowhere!"

"Very well then," Said the other, "We shouldn't be battling against one another at a time like this, but it seems I have no choice!"

Leaping back into the sky, the two Rayquaza's coiled around one another and blasted into the other's face with two identical Hyper Beams. A loud crash and a smokescreen ensued from the colliding lasers and the two identical dragons flew out from either side, righting themselves in the air and glaring at the other.

Seeing the two of them fighting, Mewtwo took it upon himself to muse to himself. "So," He said, "They've decided to clash against one another instead of teaming up against me. That's a relief...but then, what should I do?" Without even thinking, Mewtwo leaned his head to the side to avoid a glancing Draco Meteor from above. "Should I step in and fight them both anyways? Or should I let them continue fighting each other?" A Hyper Beam came his way, and so Mewtwo nonchalantly summoned a barrier to weather the attack. "The smartest option would be to let them fight it out and then battle the winner, as they would naturally be Mew…" He floated away to the side to dodge a glancing Fire Blast. "...But then again, Mew could also pretend to be defeated to distract me and make me fight the real Rayquaza, then attack from behind…" The two Rayquazas, caught in one another's grasp, swerved towards Mewtwo, who stopped the both of them and froze them in place. Looking back up towards the two of them, Mewtwo said, "So...the most logical option would be...to defeat both."

The twin dragons' eyes widened. "No, wait! Mewtwo, can't you see?! _They're_ the clone, not me! Come, let us work together and make Mew see reason!"

"No, I am," The other insisted, "Lady Mew is trying to fool you! Together, we can stop her rampage!"

In response to the duo's plights, Mewtwo gathered Psychic energy to the palms of his hands and concentrated them. "Sorry, but no. To the real Rayquaza, sorry, but…" He held the glowing palms of his hands up to the two Rayquaza's foreheads, making the pupils of their eyes shrink in fright. "I cannot risk teaming up with the fake." He intensified the attacks in his hands, and one of the Rayquaza's closed their eyes tightly. The other one grinned.

Mewtwo quickly shifted the attacks towards the grinning Rayquaza and blasted it into the ground beneath, sending them careening towards the ground, screaming. Their scream was cut off when the Psychic ball exploded violently in a purple light. "That should give us some time," Said Mewtwo, turning back to the real Rayquaza, "Sorry about that, by the way. I couldn't have been sure which one was real, so I had to attack you both. If I didn't the real one would have-"

Mewtwo was cut off when, suddenly, Rayquaza lurched forward towards him and trapped him in his coil. The emerald green dragon grinned down at him with a cruel grin upon his face, then began to summon a Hyper Beam pointed right at Mewtwo's face. "What are you doing?!" Cried Mewtwo.

The disembodied voice of Mew spoke out to him, "You fell for it! I used Psychic to make the real Rayquaza _look_ like he was grinning evilly at you and plotting something, all while I pretended to look terrified!"

Mewtwo scowled angrily, and blasted outward at the fake Rayquaza to free him from the Bind attack that had trapped him. He then flung a Shadow Ball at it to try and get her to return to normal, only for it to begin to glow a bright light. Mewtwo's eyes widened and he quickly formed a barrier around himself just as the Rayquaza used Explode. The sheer force of the attack lit up the sky for a moment and blasted out into Mewtwo's barrier, nearly shattering it.

Once the Explosion attack died down, Mewtwo erupted from the smoke amidst his violet purple flaring energy, looking none too pleased. He swerved his head around in all directions to search for Mew, who eventually appeared before him. She laughed down at him, giggling to herself, which only served to increase Mewtwo's annoyance.

"You fell for it again," She exclaimed amidst her giddy laughter, "I used Substitute and transformed it into another Rayquaza!" She erupted into laughter once more. "I guess that new Mega form of yours doesn't make you any smarter!"

Her laughter was cut off when, in the blink of an eye, Mewtwo blitzed up to her, grabbed her by the throat and hurled her further into the sky. Rapidly, he created small pinkish-purple balls of Psychic energy and began hurling them at Mew one after another. Mew stopped her momentum by summoning a large bubble in her flight path and whipped back around towards her clone with a Fire Blast in her mouth, but was forced to quickly duck her head as Mewtwo's attacks sailed over it and destroyed her bubble.

Mewtwo kept up the hail of attacks, continuously throwing the small balls despite Mew dodging them. The small pink catlike Pokemon leapt out of the way, swerving, dodging and leaping around every one of the small attacks hurled at her. She giggled at him mockingly for his failed efforts as she began to realize the ease of evading them. "Hah! You really shouldn't let your frustration cloud your judgement, Mewtwo," She taunted, "It's really unbecoming! While you're at it, you should work on your aim too!"

The goddess Pokemon continued laughing as she dodged the incoming attacks. Eventually, they stopped coming. "What, giving up already?" To her confusion, Mewtwo smirked up at her.

"Take a look around," He told her.

To Mew's horror, she was surrounded by a countless myriad of the Psychic orbs Mewtwo had fired at her. The gap between each one of them from another was so small that even she couldn't fit through it. "W-what is this?!"

Mewtwo chuckled. "You fell for it. _PSYSTRIKE!_ "

Mewtwo reached his hand up towards her and closed it. Immediately, the countless array of Psychic orbs shot forwards, closing in on Mew. She tried to teleport, but something beneath her began to glow the moment she did. She stared down in horror as she realized one of the Psychic orbs had been directly beneath her feet the entire time. It detonated, interrupting her Teleport and sent her careening into the field of the others of its' kind.

Without hope for resistance, Mewtwo's Psystrike closed in on Mew, crashing into her all at once. However, every time a Psystrike crashed into her, another appeared in its' place and followed suit over and over again. Within the attack, Mew winced in pain. She couldn't summon any attacks, because they were destroyed immediately by one of Mewtwo's attacks colliding into it and causing both moves to blow up in her face. The Psytrike seemed endless too. Without mercy nor coda, the countless purple orbs barreled into her, one after another and exploded violently.

To Mewtwo, it looked like a firework show. He couldn't help but to allow a smile to return to his face. "Mew!" He called up to her, "This is the end! If I can defeat you, then I might stand a chance against Necrozma!" In his hands, he formed yet another ball of Psychic energy. This one, however, he didn't throw at her. From Mewtwo's body, a deep lilac stream of energy flowed out into the orb. With it, the orb grew in size continuously. It eventually reached the point Mewtwo could no longer hold it within his arms' length, so he held it above his head. It grew larger still, eventually blotting out the moon itself. With a roar of determination, Mewtwo shot the gargantuan attack at Mew. The detonation was immense, and Mewtwo was quickly forced to summon a barrier around himself. Outside of the shield, the world turned a blinding white. Trees were completely uprooted and obliterated. The landscape itself bent beneath the sheer force of power behind the attack, and even its' creator quickly found himself unable to withstand it. The barrier cracked around him, despite his desperate struggle to keep it intact. More and more fractures appeared until finally, it shattered, and Mewtwo himself disappeared into the blinding light.

It took minutes for the Psystrike to end, and when it finally did, a colossal crater was left in its' wake. The Tree of Life had barely managed to escape the destruction by mere meters, but the rest of the land wasn't so lucky. Remnants of trees, rocks and other types of debris rained down upon the scarred lands. Mewtwo awoke, still in his Mega form, to a large stone nearly crashing down upon him. His eyes shot open and he immediately went to try and stop it from happening, but a Hyper Beam tore through the chunk of debris suddenly, scouring it to ashes.

"Hey, Mewtwo," The familiar face of Rayquaza said to him, "There are better places to take a nap than on the ground, you know."

Chuckling, Mewtwo pushed himself back onto his feet and gave the draconian Legend a thankful thumbs-up. He was taken aback when Rayquaza's tail suddenly impacted him and sent him sprawling across the ground facedown. When he came to a stop from his slide, Mewtwo pushed himself up off the ground and onto his back, slamming the rocky floor with his fist.

"...Three times in a row," Mewtwo said aloud, "I don't know whether to feel ashamed or just laugh at this point."

Rayquaza flew into his line of sight once more, charging a Hyper Beam within his jaw. Mewtwo merely groaned, and leaned back his head. "Forget it," He said, "You win, Mew."

Rayquaza, however, had a different idea. He lurched his head up towards the sky suddenly, using the Hyper Beam to slice through another large chunk of falling debris and making the two halves of it fall further to their sides and leaving them unharmed. Turning back towards Mewtwo, he pulled him back to his feet and said, "That was for earlier."

Mewtwo put a hand to his gut where the tail hit him and laughed. "Fair enough."

Looking back over towards the center of the crater, Rayquaza told him, "You really outdid yourself. Even for our Goddess, she'll be feeling that one in the morning."

"...I suppose so," Replied Mewtwo, "But what now?"

"Well…" Rayquaza trailed off, looking behind them towards the Tree of Life, "The tree appears to be unharmed, so we don't have to worry about that. When Mew appears next, she likely won't show mercy, even with our dire situation." He turned back towards Mewtwo. "So it would be wise to-"

He was blasted by a pink laser from behind, sending him sprawling away. " _Trying to leave again? You're starting to sound like a broken record_."

The ground beneath Mewtwo's feet was completely obliterated and he soon found himself being blasted by a wall of pink energy. He put up a barrier, but it was torn to shreds instantaneously as if it was sandpaper. He cried out in agony and was forced to his knees by the sheer overwhelming power. Mew appeared before him once more, and she looked akin to a demon. Her teeth were bared, her eyes were glowing bright white and her fur was spiking up on end.

She screeched, and the overwhelming power of the Goddess of all Pokemon Mew intensified. It felt like he was standing within the center of the Tree of Life once more. Desperately, he gripped onto the floor to try and hold him in place, but kept on sliding backwards despite that. Mew floated up to her clone's face, allowing him to behold the absolute might of her power as close as possible.

It was then Mewtwo realized. ' _I can't beat her! I can't hold on!'_

Her power shifted, instead blasting directly down upon him and crushing him helplessly into the floor. Mewtwo's eyes began to dull. His consciousness was wavering. Even with the power the Tree of Life had gifted him, he was nothing in comparison to Mew herself.

' _She's...too powerful…_ '

Mew spoke. Her voice boomed to the point it seemed to come from every direction. It sounded completely unlike her normal voice. Instead of the high-pitched cute voice she normally adorned, this voice was raspy, deep and it echoed through Mewtwo's very being. " _Do you see now? The error of challenging me?_ " The overwhelming force of her power increased further, pushing Mewtwo down into the stone beneath his feet. " _Now, you will pay with your life!_ " Mewtwo heard some kind of ringing sound, and the stone he was embedded in crumbled away and left the clone Pokemon dangling within the air. Pink, crackling energy crushed him at every point, and he no longer even had the freedom to scream out in pain. His Mega Evolution faded, leaving him in his normal state, and then the world faded to black.

…

Mewtwo next awoke to the feeling of a cold breeze. He dared to open his eyes and found himself staring up towards the night sky, lit brightly by the ever-glowing moon. Thousands of stars littered the black void above, shining brightly as they ever did. He brought his arm up to his face and found it to have returned to normal. The armored plating was gone, and his three bulbous fingers returned in their place.

He sat back up and looked around. It was the landscape he had destroyed with Psystrike, but...it wasn't destroyed at all. There was no crater to be found. No debris, no rubble, all seemed to be well, as if he'd never engaged Mew at all. He stared back down at his hand and flexed his fingers. It didn't seem real, yet it felt so. "Was that all...a dream…?"

He stood back onto his feet and looked behind him. The Tree of Life was standing proudly in the far distance, seemingly untouched by their battle like everything else. He floated into the air and tried to identify Rayquaza's location, yet found nothing. Staring back down into his hand, he clenched it tightly.

"...There is only one way to be sure…"

He tried to remember the sensation...the power given to him...no, _entrusted_ to him by the Tree of Life. He refused to believe that his Mega Evolution was false. It was his very proof that he belonged in this world! His union with the Aura, the makeup of all living and nonliving things, proved he was worthy to live here. It meant that the world accepted him as a living being within it...and if he could do so, the other clones could as well. It meant they all truly belonged.

A bright white glow enveloped Mewtwo amidst a swirl of blue specks of light, and when the light faded, Mewtwo remained. His tail was removed, and a growth resembling it ran down the back of his head. His horns disappeared, merging into some half-halo shaped thing protruding from his head, and he had grown armor upon his skin, as well as his body and limbs widening and thickening. His bulbous fingers were replaced with smaller, dark purple ones and identically-colored ring-shaped objects grew from his shoulders. As he opened his eyes he quickly rushed to the nearest source of water, a lake, and stared down into it. His eyes widened with shock, and his expression quickly turned into a satisfied and relieved smile. Breathing out a sigh now that his worries were alleviated, he looked back up towards the moon and happily uttered, "...It's real...it's real after all…"

"Of course it's real!"

Mewtwo jumped back in shock. Behind him, Mew floated in place, tilting her head at him as if she didn't know what was going on.

"Y-you…" Mewtwo narrowed his eyes, "What happened?"

Mew put a hand to her chin and tilted her head back in thought. "Weeeeellll...let's seeeeeee…" She ended up tilting so far backwards that she flipped upside down. "After you passed out, I kinda realized I went too far. Rayquaza came back and tried to fight me again, probably to defend you, so I beat him up and told him to fly back into space." Mewtwo couldn't help but to feel somewhat warm to hear that Rayquaza tried to come back for him. Mew flipped back right-side up. "Yeah, he tried to pick a fight with me so I did the same thing to him as I did to you, and he ended up begging for his life, so I told him to beat it and he left." The warm feeling Mewtwo felt ceased. "But anyways," She continued, "After I beat you, I ended up fixing the land and felt kinda bad so I healed you up too!"

"...I see…" Mewtwo replied simply, "Well, thank you for healing me then." He bowed his head to her. "I concede defeat. You are greater than me, Mew."

"Oh, we aren't done yet."

He sharply raised his head towards her. "Excuse me?"

An eerie grin crept up the side of Mew's face, and Mewtwo felt the overwhelming pressure of her power begin to crush him once more. " _We're not going anywhere for a loooong time. No, we still have much more playtime in store! Won't that be fun?!_ " Maniacal, screeching laughter began erupting from the Goddess Pokemon as Mewtwo's body began to crumble. Fear quickly overcame him as the implications of her playtime filled his mind with twisted imagery. His heart nearly stopped as she appeared directly in front of him suddenly. She outstretched her hand towards him, and he shut his eyes tightly.

"Boop!"

Mew tapped his nose and flew backwards, giggling. The pressure crushing him stopped as well, and her counterpart tentatively opened his eyes again. "...What?"

"Gotcha!" She continued giggling, floating and flipping throughout the air, "You're really easy to prank, you know."

Mewtwo could only stare at her with a blank, dumbfounded expression. "So...what's...happening?"

"Oh, you can go if you want," She told him, "I just wanted to scare ya one last time."

"Scare? So, wait, was all of that-"

"Just a prank, bro."

"Even that whole thing where you were furious with me for obtaining my Mega Evolution?"

"Well, kinda," Answered Mew, "At first, yeah, I was kinda ticked off. But it didn't last long. Everything after that was just playing!" She looked at him oddly. "Right?"

"R-right…" He stammered, "So, then, was that whole 'testing my power' playtime as well?"

"Well, yes and no," She flipped around in the air, eventually stopping near Mewtwo's head, "I did want to test out how strong you were in a fight," All of a sudden, Mew went up far too close for Mewtwo's comfort, forcing him to lean his head back away from her, "But that _was_ playtime!"

Mewtwo would hardly call nearly being crushed to death 'playtime' but he feared that voicing his opinion would only sink him further into her games. "So, then...you were faking everything in our battle? You were holding back up until the end?"

"No, I was holding back there too."

Mewtwo deadpanned. "You cannot be serious…"

"Why's that?" Her visage darkened menacingly. " _Need another reminder of my power to freshen your memory?_ "

Mewtwo quickly held up a hand to dissuade her. "I-I'm fine, thank you."

Mew glared at him for a few seconds until her expression radically shifted once more, turning back into her bright, cheery self. "Okay! So long as you get it."

Mewtwo nodded, inwardly sighing in relief. "Well...I suppose that'll be it, then?"

Mew shrugged. "Sure."

Without needing any further persuasion, Mewtwo nodded and took off into the sky. Mew stared up at him as he went, and an odd feeling she couldn't describe panged through her. In all actuality, a feeling of envy at her clone's ability to perform Mega Evolution plagued her, but on the other…

A smile came to the Goddess Pokemon's face. "You know what? I'm happy for him."

* * *

 _ **Goldenrod City, four days after Arceus's worldwide announcement.**_

Ever since Arceus, the creator of the world, had made his announcement to the world, just about every trainer from around the world had flocked to Goldenrod City as per his command. The vast majority of wild Pokemon had come running as well, though they mostly stuck to the outskirts of the city. Some trainers, however, only ended up coming _because_ of the sheer number of Pokemon, which ended up in some less-than desirable trainers going out to catch as many as possible with no intention of staying for the battle against Necrozma.

This is where Ash came in. Ever since the worldwide announcement, he became somewhat of a figurehead for the entire world. Simply his appearance alone could deter these trainers from their misdeeds. That being said, the catching of wild Pokemon was far from a crime to him. After all, it was the basis of their world. He simply stepped in to deter the cruel ones. This fame, however, came with downsides. Left and right, there were press at every turn crowding around to get an interview. A single picture of the chosen one of Arceus was a money-maker now, so simply getting to speak with him on camera got the media hundreds of thousands.

This was where Ash's friends came in. Hearing Ash's name, the vast number of people Ash had befriended upon his journeys quickly abandoned whatever they had been doing and raced to Goldenrod City to meet him. Misty and Brock were the first to arrive, of course. They were the two original friends of Ash, after all. Though, their first meeting was comprised of lots of yelling on Misty's part. Ash's Hoenn journeying partners, May and her little brother Max came next, with Dawn from Sinnoh following suit. The Dragon Master of Unova Iris and the Grass-Type Gym Leader of Unova came as well. Even still, after being heralded by Arceus himself as The Chosen One, Iris still ended up calling Ash a kid. Finally, The Electric-Type Gym Leader of Kalos, Clemont, and his little sister Bonnie came as well, happily reuniting with Ash and Serena. They even brought along a new and improved Clembot.

Of course, their reunion was hectic. How could it not be, with Ash at the center? He didn't want to hear "You're Arceus's Chosen One?!" for the rest of his life after this. Of course, there was also the matter of explaining his and Serena's "relationship" to everyone else as well, which of course ended up ensuing in a lot of screaming. Mostly from the girls. Of course, Misty had already known due to her Gym Battle against the two of them. As for the others, they constantly demanded how she had gotten through his thick layer of density, and only became even more furious when she told them.

After that fiasco, more and more familiar faces began appearing. At first it was the Gym Leaders and Elite Four, who ended up coming during Day 3, saying that they had some last-minute business they had to attend to before coming here. Even the Champions ended up showing up. The shared champion of Kanto and Johto, the Dragon Master Lance. The history-obsessed master of Steel, Steven Stone of Hoenn. The secondary Champion of Hoenn, the Water Master Wallace. The elegant Master of all Types and potentially-strongest of the Champions, Cynthia of Sinnoh. The Flame-haired Elder of Unova, Alder. And finally, the Grand Duchess of Kalos, Diantha. These incredibly powerful trainers had all come to help stave off Necrozma's invasion and, to Ash's relief, ended up taking most of the responsibilities of governing the world's trainers in his stead.

With their guidance, Ash was able to organize the trainers, allowing many to occupy the vast array of abandoned buildings for living spaces. To those who chose not to, or to those who couldn't get a building in one of the rooms in time, Ash and the others had large tents strewn about either on the roads of the cities or in the outskirts. There were literal millions of people, and organizing them, orchestrating them and meeting their basic needs was an impossible task. Without the help of the Gym Leaders, Elite Four and Champions of every region, he couldn't have done it.

That being said, the people themselves were relatively capable of handling their affairs, and they had no problem co-operating with one another. He guessed the fear of Necrozma winning was what did it. Still, there were, of course, troublemakers even during times like this, who would either steal from others or go out and harass the wild Pokemon. Their actions usually elicited an enraged response from both the people and Pokemon, so their efforts rarely lasted long.

To Ash's surprise, he eventually found out that his various rivals had ended up coming as well. It was Gary who came up to him first, and there was little to no issue with them. Drew was, well, Drew, and Trip was...Trip...as for Alain, their meeting was as one would expect. To Ash's chagrin, there was another "So you're The Chosen One, huh?" and he asked Ash for another battle. To his surprise, Ash declined. Ash had ended up calling up Professor Oak and asking him to send all of his Pokemon from the ranch over to Goldenrod, so he sent them all out to meet them. Not to mention, he was extremely busy with overseeing the trainers, so he didn't really have much time to battle. Alain understood his meaning, and Ash ended up pointing him over towards where his other friends had gathered up if he wanted to battle.

Then there was Paul. Ash knew Paul would end up being the most troublesome one. The first thing he'd heard about his rival from Sinnoh was that his former rival had been picking fights with the wild Pokemon. When Ash found him and questioned him about it, Paul simply told him he was looking for new candidates for his team and that fighting wild Pokemon would end up being better training than fighting other trainers. Ash, by himself, was unable to convince Paul to stop and didn't have the means of battling him at the moment. So, he revealed his Aura to Paul and asked him once more. His intimidation tactic, to even his own surprise, seemed to work even though the always-stoic Paul didn't reveal it, and he ended up walking back to camp. Like with Alain, Ash told him that if he wanted to battle strong trainers, his friends and other rivals were all in one place.

Barring the people Ash personally knew, there were, of course, many others. The International Police had quickly arrived to the scene to help keep people in line and provide general support. Ash tried to locate Looker, but was unable to do so and assumed he was simply working undercover. The other agents told him it was confidential, even to him. All of these people worked together, in some sense or another, to survive. For the most part, humanity was banded together as one singular fighting force. Now, with only one day left for Necrozma's arrival…

Ash awoke as the rising sun's rays penetrated through the slim walls of his tent, which he'd chosen over any of the buildings because he wished to stay amongst the other trainers so he could quickly and easily respond to any problems. He yawned deeply and stretched out his groggy limbs. He turned to his side and found Pikachu, which must have meant that he had successfully met with the others at the ranch and gotten them all here. Smiling down at his partner, he rubbed Pikachu's head affectionately, making sure not to wake him up.

"You can rest up for the day," He whispered to Pikachu, "You've earned it."

With that, he dressed himself and exited his tent. The frigid air stung at his skin, but he liked it. It felt, to him, like nothing more than a cool breeze. However, as he stepped out of his tent, he noticed that someone was standing outside, closeby, with their gaze turned away from him. As they heard the noise of Ash's tent zipper, they turned back towards him and Ash nearly had a heart attack.

It was Sabrina, the Psychic Gym Leader of Saffron City and the woman who had imprisoned the entire city's population, turning them into dolls due to her mind breaking down. Though now, she hardly looked like the psychotic demon lady. Her skin had become less pale, her hair was straightened and no longer wild, and her demeanor had completely changed. Whereas the Sabrina Ash and his friends had battled for the fate of Saffron City's citizens was a raving, twitching mess of a person, the Sabrina here stared down towards the ground, twiddling her thumbs and doing whatever she could to avoid eye contact with him.

"H-hello," She said, "I'm sorry to have bothered you, but I...just wanted to apologize...for before…"

Ash blinked at her, dumbfounded. He cleared his throat and said, "Sabrina?! What are you doing here?!"

She hummed uncomfortably. "...I came here like the other Gym Leaders," She told him, "But that's not...the only reason. I have many others." When Ash didn't respond, she continued. "...I wanted to help here of my own accord. To right some of my wrongs...and to apologize…"

Ash, after composing himself, cleared his throat and responded, "I...see...so does that mean...you're in control again?"

Sabrina shuffled in place, unsure if what she was about to say was true, "I believe so. For now at least." She looked away towards the rising sun in the distance. "My father...has really been trying these last couple days. I can tell he's been trying his hardest to re-connect with my mother and I."

"Well that's good," Ash replied, "So are you cleared up with the people? I know the news ended up...exposing you, after all."

Sabrina hesitated for a moment, then nodded. "Apparently, no one on the outside but you and your friends knew the exact cause, so I've managed to evade the blame for now."

Ash raised an eyebrow at her. "Do you intend to tell them?"

She stared down, and her eyes went from place to place. It was obvious to Ash that she was having conflicted thoughts. "...Yes," She answered at last, "I will...but not now." She turned towards the myriad of tents awaiting the coming battle. "Right now, we have larger worries. With the fate of the world at hand, the crimes I've committed seem to pale in comparison." She turned back towards him. "I don't think I need to tell you, but the governments of the world are doing all they can to keep the citizens calm and in check. If I were to expose my actions right now, they might not care or it could lead to worse reactions among the people and break the fragile peace they've managed to create."

Ash nodded. "I see. That makes sense, then." A blank expression of knowingness appeared on his face, making Sabrina shrink slightly under his gaze. "But," He continued, "I assume you didn't come just to tell me that, right?"

"...You're right," Replied Sabrina, "I'm sure you're busy with work here, seeing as we don't exactly have much time before Necrozma's arrival, so I wouldn't have taken up your time if I didn't believe what I had to say was worth it."

Ash motioned for her to continue. "Well, go on then."

The Psychic Gym Leader nodded. "As I'm sure you know, once Necrozma had declared war on our world, the people were left in a panic. Including my mother and I. Yet still, my father did all he could to care for us as the city dissolved into panic. He managed to get us food, water and anything else we needed even as the stores were raided." She looked down, and Ash noticed a pang of guilt from her with his Aura.

"...But I still hadn't recovered from...you know...and I ended up lashing out at him a lot." She gripped the furls of her dress with her nails. "I blamed him...for everything...even as he risked his life trying to get food and water for my mother and I, I couldn't forgive him. I blamed him for a problem that was deeply-rooted within myself since the moment I was born."

She shuddered angrily, and Ash looked at her empathetically. He felt intense loathing from her, but it was not directed at him, her father or anyone else. It was directed at herself. "Ever since I was born, these powers of mine...corrupted my mind...they made me grow more apathetic towards the world around me, and have continued to do so." She looked back up towards Ash, and he could see tears dotting the edges of her eyes, hanging on by a thread. "It was my powers that drove me to insanity. Not my father, nor anyone else. He was right to be afraid of me, and because he feared me, I became angry at everything."

Ash tried to console her. "You shouldn't-"

She interrupted him. "Blame myself? How can I not? You of all people should know why."

"Me?" Ash questioned, "How would I…?" He blinked as he realized what she meant. "...Oh. Haunter."

Sabrina nodded. "When I had become completely uncaring towards the world, I began to alleviate my boredom by pretending to treat it as my plaything. That doll I had back then...it was a scapegoat. A figure of my sadistic desires I could pin the blame on to rid me of any guilt...but you, Ash. You helped me."

She stared over away from the rising sun, where it was still dark. "That Haunter of yours gave me the first shred of real joy I'd felt ever since I first discovered my Psychic powers. It...freed me from myself, but even still, I…" Her face contorted with frustration. "I chased it away, like I always did! Yet…! Yet still…!" A tear spilled over from her eye and she turned back towards Ash. "My father...even after how horribly I treated him…! Still, he…!" She wiped the tear from her eye. "My father...went out to search for Haunter...to try and bring back the joy I felt...and…"

A smile, even in her distress, managed to break through and she held her hand out to her side. "He found it…" Appearing from thin air, a violet purple mass of gas appeared, followed by two clawed hands that floated beneath it. It grinned happily at Ash and honked out, "Haunt, Haunt!"

An elated smile crept its' way up Ash's mouth at seeing the old Ghost Type Pokemon. "Haunter! It's good to see you again!"

Apparently agreeing, Haunter disappeared from sight, reappeared directly in front of Ash and licked his face affectionately. Unfortunately for Ash, that meant his face getting coated in a potent slime that nearly ended up paralyzing him. Still, Ash managed to laugh in spite of that. "I'm happy to see you too, Haunter!"

Sabrina cleared her throat to get Ash and Haunter's attention. "After my father had returned Haunter to me, I immediately felt a joy that had been deprived from me...no...a joy I had deprived from myself rush back to me...but alongside it came a crushing guilt as I realized what I put him through…and for the first time in my life, I couldn't help myself. Like a child, I cried helplessly into my father's arms. I apologized for everything I'd done, over and over again, but still, he insisted this was all his fault."

"So that's why…" Ash trailed off.

"...Yes," Answered Sabrina, "That is why I have come here. I am done blaming others for my wrongdoings and harming others for my own personal, selfish games. It's time I used these powers I was blessed with for good. In this case, I'm fighting alongside the other Gym Leaders."

Ash smiled gratefully at her. "That's good. In all honesty, we can use all the help we can get."

Sabrina shook her head. "That's not all." A sorrowful look appeared on her face and she looked up towards Haunter. Ash followed in turn, and Haunter looked down back and forth between Ash and Sabrina in confusion.

"I also wish to impart Haunter back to you."

"What?!"

"Haunt?!"

Sabrina nodded solemnly. "If I would strike out at the one who gave me more joy in a few years than I've felt in my entire lifetime combined, I am not worthy to have them. Not to mention, you said you could use all the help you can get, right?"

Ash vigorously shook his head. "No way! I don't mean any offense to you, Haunter, but Sabrina, Haunter's definitely better off staying with you."

Haunter nodded in agreement. "Haunt, Haunt!"

"Please don't make this any harder than it needs to be," Pleaded Sabrina, "I don't want to do this either, but I must! It's for the benefit of humanity!"

"I'll manage," Retorted Ash, "I have no shortage of Pokemon, trust me. With the time left over, there's really not much I can do to train Haunter, and they're not the battling type anyways. Haunter's better off with you"

Haunter frantically nodded. "Haunt!"

Sabrina shook her head and turned to step away. "Please, Ash! Even if you cannot train him today, I know there will be a tomorrow! As time goes on, my Psychic powers will inevitably take control over me again! I won't harm Haunter a second time!"

Without waiting for a response, Sabrina turned away from them and ran. Haunter reached an arm out to her, then lowered it as the Ghost Type Pokemon realized she was out of reach. Tears welled up in Haunter's eyes and it began crying into its' floating hand. " _Haaaaaaauuunt!_ " Wailed Haunter.

Haunter's crying ceased as Ash placed a hand onto it. It looked up questioningly at Ash with tears still in its' eyes, and Ash smiled down at it. "Go follow her," Ash told it, "Even if she'll be mad, she'll be thankful one day. She's just going through a rough patch right now."

The Haunter looked up at him with a shocked look planted on its' face. As it contemplated Ash's words, it suddenly lurched up at Ash's face, gave him another slobbery lick, and bolted off to follow Sabrina, chanting "Haunt, Haunt, Haunt," ecstatically as it did so.

Ash let out a sigh, content with his work, and turned back towards the tent. He peeped his head through the zipper at Pikachu to see if his age-old partner had woken up during that whole exchange with Sabrina. Yet still, the Electric Mouse Pokemon slept like a baby.

Ash chuckled and whispered, "Geez, that trip must have taken a lot out of him."

Stepping back out of the tent, Ash turned back towards the sun and immediately was forced to shield his eyes. By now, the sun had come up completely and the new denizens of Goldenrod City were beginning to stir. Ash could feel a wave of unease among them. This was their last day before the mad warmonger Necrozma would unleash his forces upon them and the fate of their world would be decided, so their trepidation was more than understandable. Ash felt it himself more than any other. He, as Arceus's chosen one, held the safety of everyone here upon his head.

Letting out a deep sigh, Ash decided to make his early morning rounds. Every morning, he went out into the woods nearby to check out the status of the wild Pokemon, using his Aura to feel for any disturbance among them. In the short days they had, Riley made sure to spend any of Ash's potential free time drilling more Aura training into him. He walked past the tents of his friends, waving to them as he passed, and made his way towards the gate of the city.

"Alright," Ash said to himself, "Let's see what's going on out here today."

Just as Ash was about to step outside the city walls, a voice spoke out to him.

"Wait, Ash!"

Ash turned back around at the voice's call and found Zero rushing to meet him. She skidded to a halt before him, stared up at him (as much as she could with her eyes closed, anyways) and said, "I want to come too!"

Ash chuckled down at her and ruffled her hair affectionately. "Sure! It'll be nice having someone to talk to."

"Yay!" Zero cheered, pumping her fist into the air.

Ash laughed at the young girl's antics and held his hand out to Zero. Upon taking it, she was hoisted off the ground. She giggled at the brief feeling of flight, earning a smile from Ash as he placed her down upon his shoulders.

"So," Ash said, "Should we get a move on?"

Zero nodded enthusiastically, and with that, the duo marched into the forest. As the city skyline disappeared with the dense foliage of the surrounding trees, beams of sunlight began to peer through, shining down through the gaps between the leaves. Zero was awed by the sight and 'oooohed' at it, earning a chuckle from Ash. As they traversed deeper still, Pokemon began to show themselves, dipping back and forth between the trees. With each one that passed, Zero snapped her gaze towards it to marvel at the brief sight.

"Now I get it," Ash said, smiling up to her, "You came here just to look at the Pokemon, right?"

Zero's face flushed. "N-no! ...Well, yes, but not entirely…"

Ash laughed and reached up to pat her head affectionately. "Don't worry, I'm not mad. Far from it actually." He lowered his arm and pointed out to his side. Zero attempted to trace where he was pointing at, but couldn't see anything. "Looks like there's nothing there, right?"

Zero nodded.

"Well, maybe you're not looking hard enough." The swirling cyan flames of Ash's Aura encased the two of them, eliciting a gasp from Zero. Surely enough, a Pokemon slowly peeked its' head out of a particularly small bush as it felt the gentle pull of the Aura. It was a small, dark-blue, round Pokemon with a tuft of grass poking out from its' head.

"An Oddish!" Exclaimed a giddy Zero.

Ash nodded. "That's right. It might not look like it, but all around us are thousands upon thousands of Pokemon. That's my favorite part of coming out here every day. They're all hiding right now because of the humans nearby, so you can't normally see them." His Aura intensified around the duo, swirling around them slowly. "But with this, I can see them all. All around me, countless glowing blue lights, the lights of the Pokemon's Aura, shine like Christmas lights. It's incredible."

Zero's expression lit up and she jumped off to greet the Oddish, but as she made her way towards it, it suddenly bolted back and disappeared into the grass. Zero's smile disappeared and she slowly came to a halt. She hung her head, and looked down at her hands. She thought of summoning her Aura, if that was even something she _could_ do, but quickly perished the thought as she remembered the last time it had happened. Her Aura reacted to Ash's and lashed out at him violently, making him experience a portion of the agony she felt in the lab. If she could summon her Aura again, it would only serve in driving away the Pokemon, or even worse: harming them.

It was always this way. From the furthest corners of her memories, she could only dig up the same thing: slaughtering the innocent Pokemon trapped in the lab alongside her. A small sliver of a memory told her these Pokemon were once her friends, but that only served to make her feel worse. Knowing that she had mercilessly ended the lives of her friends, once she was free'd of her insanity, it made her feel unimaginably sickened every time the memories of what she had done inevitably flooded her mind, just as they did every single day.

The Oddish running away from her hurt her far more than it should. It was ridiculous. She knew this, for it was the nature of all living things to run from what they fear. But still, it hurt her. She couldn't help it. What was logical to think clashed with her emotions, leaving the young Zero in a stupor. It made her think. Thoughts she'd managed to push back for the most part ever since Ash had freed her from herself by taking on her pain and replacing it with his joy. She began to think…

' _Do I belong?_ '

She didn't know. She was not born into this world. She was created. Created to be used as a weapon by her creators. Created for the sole purpose of ending the lives of others for no apparent reason other than to satisfy whatever desires Charon, or rather that man Ryder's "master", had told her to carry out. She was created to destroy. Even her very life essence, Aura, reflected that with how it lashes out at everything.

Turning back towards Ash, she asked him, "Hey...Ash? Tell me...do I truly belong here? In this world?"

Ash raised a brow. "That was sudden," He said, "Of course you do! You belong here as much as anyone else."

Zero looked down at the ground. "I'm not so sure…"

"Why's that?" Asked Ash, "You have a heart that beats. You have a mind that thinks. And most importantly, you have a soul that feels." He knelt beside her and put a hand on her shoulder, raising her chin back up with his finger. "I don't know why you're thinking this way, but you shouldn't. You belong here just as much as I do."

She tore away from him suddenly, with a loud buzzing noise and a flash of light following suit. "How...how would you know?!"

Ash hissed in pain and clenched at his hand. There was a burn mark where he'd been touching her. He simply frowned and stood back up to his full height. "Zero…"

Zero took a moment to calm herself, placing a hand to her chest to slow her erratic breathing. "...I'm sorry," She said, "I shouldn't be...lashing out at you like that."

Ash waved her off. "It's fine...here, let's just-"

"No, it's not fine," Zero insisted, "You saved me, Ash! You freed me from the hell of my own creation and gave me another chance at life, but…" Ash's agonized wails from when he took on her memories echoed throughout her mind, and she clenched her fists in rage. "I've hurt you...twice now, I hurt the one I care about more than anything!"

She let out a furious wail and struck down at the ground with her fist. The ground beneath her cracked and crumbled, leaving a miniature crater where she hit. "I can't take it! I constantly hurt what I care about, even after I was freed from that lab…no...no, I'm still not free of it…" She clutched at her head suddenly, as visions of the Pokemon from her birthplace laying on the ground coated in their own blood—ended by _her_ hands—flashed before her eyes. All the while, the mad cackling of Dr. Charon pierced her mind, sending up panging waves of agony from her head.

She began to scream bloody murder, and Ash quickly went to her and held her in a tight embrace. "Zero, stop!" Pleaded Ash, "That's enough!" His brilliant cyan Aura burst outward to coat the two of them, but in turn, Zero's own crackling crimson Aura sparked outward and clashed. The agony Ash felt was immense. It came close to what he felt on that fateful morning he took on Zero's memories. This time, however, he was prepared, and would not let it take hold of him like it did then. For Zero's sake.

From between clenched teeth, Ash told her, "Hang...in there, Zero…"

Zero's tormented wailing only furthered, and her Aura spiked outward into a cascade of crimson plasma that wreaked havoc across the ground, and Ash as well. He hissed, but refused to cry out and responded with a pulse of his own Aura to fight against hers. Still, it continued, tearing through the trees and uprooting the ground around them.

"Zero!" Ash called out, "You have to stop!"

Zero's void-like eyes shot open, and her Aura began to recede, if only slightly. Her agonized cries, however did not. For they did not come from her Aura. Within Zero's mind, her creator, Dr. Charon, raved at her. He told her to kill. To destroy. All the while, the lives she had taken rained down around her. Every word Charon spoke sent a piercing agony through her head like a nail being hammered into it over and over again. On the other side, the voice of Ash pleaded to her to stop. He tried to alleviate her pain, but Charon's voice was omnipresent. He would not allow Ash to save her.

" _Zero!_ "

" _ **ZERO!**_ "

The voices of Ash and Charon clashed, and Zero could feel herself being torn in two between them. She wanted desperately to go to Ash, but Charon's grip on her—her mind, body and soul...her everything—was limitless. Every aspect of her being was torn in two between them, stretched out beyond the limit. She heard herself scream in agony, and then all went black.

Zero's crimson Aura disappeared and she went limp in his arms. "Zero!" Cried Ash. He quickly placed his head to her chest and sighed in relief when he found that she was still breathing. "Thank Arceus…"

Zero's eyelids lifted open slowly. She blinked and tried to open them, but found her eyelids too heavy to lift completely. "Ash…?"

Ash nodded and smiled down at her. "Yeah...I'm here…"

Zero returned his smile for a brief moment, but then recalled what had just previously taken place, and her smile was dashed. She curled her lips into a deep frown, and hit the ground with the side of her fist. This time, no destruction occurred. "Ash...I'm…"

Ash shook his head. "Don't even say it. There's no need to be sorry."

Zero clutched the edges of his shirt collar and pulled herself up, burying her face in his shoulder. "I can't understand you, Ash," She said, "Even after experiencing your memories...I can't understand you…"

Ash chuckled. "I've been told that a lot."

Zero allowed herself to laugh as well, though it was short-lived and stifled by the ever-increasing feeling of intense sorrow. "I...suppose you're right…" Her smile faded in between each laugh until it disappeared completely. Inky black tears fell from her void-like eyes freely and she whimpered into Ash's shoulder as he comforted her, rubbing her white hair affectionately."

"I'm...sorry...I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

Ash hushed her gently. "It's all right...I could never blame you, Zero. You've been hurt more than anyone...it's impossible for one person alone to hold something like that in…"

They held one another for nearly an hour, with Ash consoling the broken young girl the entire time. With his Aura, Ash calmed the raging emotions clouding her mind and silenced the demanding voice of Dr. Charon, the man who created Zero for the sole purpose of destruction. Then, finally…

"Thank you," Zero said with a sniffle, standing back to her feet, "For everything…"

Ash smiled down at her. "Anytime. Now, how about we see those Pokemon like you wanted?"

Zero rubbed her eyes to rid her face of the black, inky mess that had spread over it and asked, "How? They've likely all gone by now thanks to me. Not to mention, my Aura isn't exactly...stable...I can't use it to see them as you do…"

"You may not be able to see them with Aura," Ash told her, "But that doesn't mean you won't be able to see them at all." Ash stepped back from Zero, inhaled deeply, and flared his Aura. But it did not spike out like it did when he battled, no, it gently flew from his body and branched outward, touching the ground and the trees. Despite the flame-like nature of Aura, no harm came to the forest. The leaves of the trees were lifted slightly, as if they were caught in a calm breeze. Zero was left in a dumbstruck state of awe as she beheld the beautiful sight. Her gaze was caught by the sudden snapping of a twig.

As she turned towards the noise, she was greeted by the sight of a Pokemon that looked like a small, green dragon that waddled on two feet. It had small white tusks protruding from the edges of its' mouth. It gaped up in awe at the sight of Ash's Aura display, and soon, many more Pokemon began wandering from the tall bushes, grasses, and trees to surround them. From the massive, horned, armored Steel-Type Pokemon Aggron down to the tiny Joltik, myriads of different Pokemon from all across the world had gathered here in this forest to await the battle against Necrozma as Arceus had instructed them to do so, and now they appeared, bewitched by the sight of Ash's Aura. Zero was completely overwhelmed by the scene, and she looked around at the surrounding Pokemon in a daze.

"You see," Ash spoke, making Zero snap her gaze back toward him, "The reason they came to me is simple." He slowly allowed his Aura to fade, ceasing the spell he'd put the Pokemon under. "As Riley told us before, Aura is the makeup of all living and nonliving things around us. It makes up us, our homes and our world. It is a connecting factor between us all." He motioned towards the Pokemon surrounding them with his arm, who had stayed despite Ash's Aura display disappearing. "Life is drawn to other life. We were always meant to walk hand in hand, and to live alongside one another. And look, now you can see them, right? That means you belong."

Whatever reply Zero tried to make was silenced—cut short and held back in her throat. She was left in a complete and utter daze. Then, she smiled and opened her eyes. A singular inky, black tear slid down her cheek. "Thank you...Ash…"

Ash, Zero and the Pokemon heard the sound of a footstep from behind them suddenly, stopping their touching little moment. Out from the bushes came a young man about Ash's age, with wavy blue hair and sunglasses pushed up to his forehead. It was none other than the self-centered trainer Damian.

Zero narrowed her eyes and growled at him, but Damian didn't seem to notice her. "Well, well, well," He spoke, flaunting his arms outward, "Look what we have here!"

Ash blinked as he recalled the trainer before him. "Hey wait! You're-"

Damian cut him off before he could finish, opting to announce himself on his own. "That's right! You're starin' straight at the greatest trainer in the world, Damian himself!" He chuckled maliciously as his gaze turned away from Ash and towards the countless Pokemon surrounding them. "And it seems I've happened to stumble upon quite the prize."

Ash quickly stepped forward in Damian's way. "I don't think so. Knowing you, you'd just end up catching the strong ones and using them to attack the weaker ones for your amusement." His eyes began glowing cyan faintly. "With Necrozma so close, I can't just let you do something like that."

Damian chuckled. "Oh, are _you_ going to stop me? The so-called _chosen one_? What a load of crap!" The bluenette pulled an array of Pokeballs from his pockets. Definitely more than the legal six, though now, Ash wasn't exactly in a state to fault him for that considering the entirety of the Pokemon he took with him on his journeys were awaiting him back in Goldenrod. "Come on," Taunted Damian, "I'll take you on, defeat you and become the _real_ chosen one!"

Ash sighed and rolled his head. "Well unfortunately, I don't exactly have any Pokemon on me at the moment so-"

"Even better," Interjected Damian, "Then this will just be all the more easier!" He threw the Pokeballs out towards Ash and a veritable army of Pokemon appeared. There was a Rhyperior, a Tyranitar, a Skarmory, a Glalie, a Luxray, a Trevenant, a Magnezone and lastly, a large, menacing looking Hydreigon that glared death into Ash's eyes and roared. The Pokemon behind Ash were forced to cover their ears and hunch over due to the booming roar of the Dark Dragon, but Ash was unaffected.

"Ooh, tough guy, are ya?" Mocked Damian, "Well, we'll see who's tough after this! I won't even have to use more than one of em! Magnezone, use Thunder!"

" **Magnezo-o-o-one!** "

One of Damian's Pokemon, a disc-shaped one with magnets attached by their backs to the front of its' body, what appeared to be a yellow satellite antenna, and one singular eye at the center of its' body flew forward and discharged a hulking mass of yellow plasma towards Ash. In response, Ash stepped forward and, with the swipe of his hand, sent the attack flying harmlessly into the sky.

Damian stumbled back in surprise. "W-what?! What just happened?!"

Ash blinked in surprise and looked down towards his hand, which was glowing a brilliant shade of cyan and white, though the white faded soon after. Not even Ash knew what had just transpired. He hadn't willed himself to block the attack or even move. It had simply happened on its' own. "That's weird," Ash mused, "Maybe I'm just getting better at this whole Aura thing?" He flexed his fingers, marvelling at the sight of his own hand as if it were alien. "Now that I think about it, I have been feeling lighter today…"

His thought process trailed off and he looked up back towards Damian, who was still utterly flabbergasted. "Tell me!" He ordered, "What just happened?! What did you just do, you freak?!"

Ash's eyes narrowed, staring directly into Damian's, who couldn't bring himself to break eye contact no matter how much he tried. The young trainer closed his eyes and inhaled deeply, and when he opened them once more, the fiery surge of cyan that was Aura blasted outward, spiraling around him. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

Damian's fear quickly turned to rage, and he fumed to himself angrily. "You little…! Everyone, blast him with Hyper Beam all at once! Wipe him off the face of the Earth!"

Hearing this, Ash's eyes widened with shock. Even with this newfound power of his, there was no way he'd be able to deflect or block the combined power of eight Hyper Beams at once, but there was still the Pokemon and Zero behind him who would not be able to to dodge in time. He had confidence in Zero's ability to easily survive something like that, but with how unstable she was, it could lead to something disastrous. Of course, the Pokemon would end up getting caught in this either way.

"Damian, stop!" Pleaded Ash, "We have worse matters to worry about than petty fighting amongst ourselves! Necrozma's going to arrive tomorrow, and we'll need everyone we can get if we-"

"Shut up!" Damian shot back, "You and those other idiots in Goldenrod can stay and die to that thing all you want, but not me! I'm only here to nab as many Pokemon as I can while they're all gathered here, and then I'm outta here!"

Ash's eye twitched. "You can't be serious! If Necrozma wins, he'll destroy the world! You'll die too!"

"SHUT UP AND DIE!"

Upon Damian's order, the Pokemon under his command fired their Hyper Beams toward Ash. The Pokemon behind him ducked down, holding one another and closing their eyes while Ash stepped forward, hurriedly forming a screen-shaped barrier to block the incoming attack. As the Hyper Beams closed in, Zero took the initiative, leaping in front of the orange beams and using Mirror Move to catch it. The lasers united into one singular, colossal Hyper Beam and crashed into Zero's barrier. It was stopped for the most part, but the sheer force of the attack's residual energy pushed around the young girl and crashed into Ash's Auric barrier, making him wince. He dug his heels into the ground and held steadfast.

"Don't you dare let up," Ordered Damian, "Not until they're dust!"

His Pokemon, however, were quickly beginning to waver. The heat of the Hyper Beams were burning their throats, and their jaws started to ache. Zero, meanwhile, was absorbing the attack into her Mirror Move without much issue, and Ash was managing to hold his ground against whatever slipped by her. Finally, Damian's Skarmory faltered, falling onto its' knees and hacking up puffs of smoke. His other Pokemon followed suit one by one, dissolving into coughing fits except for Hydreigon, who held steadfast.

"USELESS!" Damian roared, making his Pokemon flinch, "You're all useless, worthless, weak Pokemon!" He viciously kicked the Luxray in its' ribs, making it cry out in pain. "What kind of Pokemon can't even withstand their own attacks?! Get the hell out of here!"

His Pokemon, barring Hydreigon winced at him, but didn't move, which only furthered to anger the blue-haired trainer even more. "WHAT, ARE YOU DEAF TOO?! I SAID TO GET OUT OF MY SIGHT YOU USELESS WEAKLINGS!" His Pokemon jumped in fright, and quickly turned tail to run. It didn't take long for them to disappear into the dark forest.

Damian whipped back around towards Hydreigon with a mad grin. His eyes were wild and bloodshot, and he began cackling like a madman. "THAT'S RIGHT! I, DAMIAN, THE STRONGEST TRAINER IN KANTO...NO...THE STRONGEST TRAINER IN _THE WORLD_ , AM ONLY SUITED FOR THE STRONGEST POKEMON!" He cackled madly once more. "AND ONCE I KILL ASH, I'LL BECOME THE _REAL_ CHOSEN ONE AND HAVE ARCEUS HIMSELF UNDER MY CONTROL!"

"That right?"

Damian jumped back in fright as a voice behind him asked him that. When the mad trainer whipped around to see what it was, he found none other than Ash himself, glaring directly into his eyes.

Damian flinched and took a step back. "W-what?! W-what are you doing here, you were just-" He looked back towards the little girl, who was easily holding back Hydreigon's Hyper Beam without issue. Behind her, where Ash, was supposed to be, there was no one. Not him, nor the other Pokemon.

"It's good that you sent your Pokemon away," Ash remarked, making Damian snap his gaze back over to him and glare, "Since they're gone, I no longer had to hold back that power...and what's more…" He took a step towards Damian, matching his glare with one of his own that completely overpowered Damian's will. "...Those Pokemon no longer have to suffer under a trainer...no, you don't even deserve to be called that." Ash took another step towards Damian and, before the ruthless trainer could move, he was sent sprawling onto his back by a pulse of Aura.

"No longer have to suffer under a heartless person like you."

Damian screamed and frantically pushed himself back to his feet. "H-Hydreigon, protect me! Forget the Hyper Beam and attack him with Frustration!"

The savage Hydreigon cut off the Hyper Beam and turned towards Ash, hissing at the Aura user menacingly. Its' eyes glowed a bright yellow and the pupils of its' eyes narrowed into slits as it identified its' new target. It sent an ear-piercing roar Ash's way, shaking the very trees and forcing him to put up a barrier to protect his ears. The three-headed dragon Pokemon's body began to slowly light up, turning a bright shade of red.

Ash couldn't help but to feel a sense of sorrow for the Dragon-Type Pokemon. Ash could sense a tremendous power welling within the Hydreigon as it charged up its' attack. For Frustration to be this powerful, the suffering it must have endured…

Zero watched the Hydreigon with interest. Frustration was a move not yet known to her, and she could practically feel the power radiating off of it. She would have tried to perform the move, but she currently had the stockpiled power of eight Hyper Beams welling within her hands, and would rather it not go to waste...especially not for what she had in store for Damian.

The Hydreigon suddenly leapt at Ash and swung its' arm at him, forcing him to quickly duck just in time for the savage attack to barely miss him. The ensuing wind kicked up from the sheer force of the attack ended up sweeping off a few dozen nearby trees off their hinges, reducing some of them to shreds. Ash gaped at the destruction with horror, which soon turned to fury as he turned back towards Damian.

"How could you?!" He demanded, "What the hell did you do to this Hydreigon?!"

Damian got back onto his feet and laughed. "I think you should be more worried for yourself, O' _Chosen One_." With that, he ran away, disappearing into the forest. Little did he know that Zero quickly gave chase.

Ash whipped back around as he sensed the Hydreigon's intention to attack once more and jumped backward just in time to avoid a downward strike from the Dark Dragon that ended up putting quite the substantial crater in place of where Ash was once standing.

It quickly lurched up at Ash once more, firing a Hyper Beam point blank that Ash barely managed to stop with a quickly-formed barrier. However, the powerful attack soon proved too much for Ash to block, at least completely, and it exploded, sending Ash careening out of the ensuing cloud of smoke. He barely managed to right himself just in time to land back on his feet, though he came out with more than his fair share of burns, evidenced by a few patches of charred skin on his arms.

Turning back up towards the Hydreigon, he shouted, "Stop it! You don't have to listen to Damian!"

His words fell on deaf ears. The Hydreigon let out another ear-piercing roar and charged towards Ash with another Frustration. Grimacing, he formed an Aura Sphere at his side. ' _Seems like I'll have to fight it after all…_ ' Ash shot the ball of concentrated cyan flame at the incoming dragon, but to his dismay, the Hydreigon burst through the Aura Sphere without much issue, and Ash was forced to leap up to evade.

The Hydreigon, however, had a different plan. With Ash in the air and helpless to evade, it lurched its' neck toward him and blasted out a Fire Blast that crashed straight into him. He was sent careening, bouncing off the ground until he dragged through the dirt. Ash spat out a puff of charred dirt and got back up to his feet, brushing himself off.

' _This thing's nuts_ ,' Ash thought to himself as he turned back toward where the Hydreigon was. Even now, the ruthless dragon was barreling through the trees to get its' target. ' _There's no way I can defeat this thing...but maybe I can calm it down…_ '

"The Pokemon from before must still be around," He said aloud, "I hate to place them in danger, but I'll need them to keep this thing at bay." He placed the palm of his hand into the ground and flared his Aura. If he was lucky, this would act as a signal and draw some of the stronger Pokemon of the forest to him. His time to do so was dwindling, evidenced by the crashing sound of falling trees ahead.

"Come on," Pleaded Ash, "Anything, please!"

Another tree was blasted onto its' side, and the enraged Hydreigon burst out from behind it. It let out another deafening roar that threw off Ash's balance and forced him to cut off his Aura in favor of shielding his ears. With its' target stunned, the Dark Dragon pumped back its' arm and prepared to use Frustration once more. Just as the savage blow was about to connect, the Hydreigon was suddenly blasted to the side by a brilliant silver-sheened laser. Out from the trees came an Aggron, who stomped upon the ground challengingly and roared at the Hydreigon, who had fallen beneath a now-collapsed tree.

The Hydreigon shattered the fallen tree with the swing of its' arm and sent back a furious roar of its' own at the Aggron, who visibly flinched at the sheer ferocity of it. The savage Dragon-Type Pokemon charged towards the Aggron and blasted out a Focus Blast from its' mouth, but before the glowing orb of energy could impact the large Steel-Type Pokemon, a shadow slipped out from the trees and popped out of the ground in front of it, revealing itself to be a Gengar. The Focus Blast impacted the newcomer and exploded violently, but as the smoke cleared, the Ghost-Type Pokemon was revealed to be completely unharmed. It laughed at the Hydreigon for its' useless effort, which only furthered to infuriate it.

Bright orange flames crackled from the lips of the three-headed dragon as it fired up a Flame Blast from within, but right before it could unleash the deadly flame attack, its' attention was caught by the sound of footsteps. Dozens of Pokemon stepped out from the trees and into the clearing, surrounding both Ash and it. The Hydreigon looked around at the newcomers frantically, then let out another ear-piercing roar. The Pokemon flinched and covered their ears, but had no intention of fleeing.

Ash couldn't help but to let out a relieved sigh as he got back to his feet. "Thank you," He said to the Pokemon, "You showed up right in the nick of time. Now, hold it still!"

The Pokemon nodded and charged towards the Hydreigon, roaring valiantly. The Hydreigon unleashed its' Fire Blast toward Ash, but a Claydol quickly stopped it with Psychic and sent it flying into the sky. The Dark Dragon hissed in anger and tried to unleash a Hyper Beam, but its' mouth was forced shut by the hand of a Throh. Hissing in fury, the Hydreigon attempted to use Focus Blast with its' free hand, but that too was stopped by another Pokemon. A Machamp took hold of its' left arm and tightly closed the mouth of the head on it, while a Hariyama quickly followed suit with the right arm.

The maddened dragon flailed furiously, in an attempt to free itself from their grasp, but found itself unable to move as more and more Pokemon piled themselves onto it to weigh it down. Soon, only its' head was exposed. Ash, seeing his chance, was quick on the uptake and rushed up to the trapped Dragon-Type. Upon seeing the one its' trainer deemed a target, the Hydreigon began flailing more viciously. Even the literal dozens of Pokemon keeping it held in place found it difficult to keep doing so.

So, quickly, Ash placed his hands onto the undersides of its' cheeks and summoned his Aura. The Hydreigon hissed in response to the action, flailing even more violently. "Come on," Ash spoke gently, "I'm not gonna hurt you." Still, it continued raving madly underneath the Pokemon's grasp as Ash's Aura flowed through it. It took minutes for it to take effect, but soon, the Hydreigon's savage flailing and hissing slowed, and then came to halt. The Hydreigon had exhausted itself at last, but even so, it continued to glare at Ash, who continued to try and work his magic nonetheless. Finally, the Hydreigon's glare faltered. It's gaze dulled, and it closed its' eyes. Ash took his hands from it and stepped back, ushering the other Pokemon to do so as well. Tentatively, they obeyed and apprehensively backed away from it.

The Hydreigon opened its' eyes slowly and it blinked in response to the sunlight as if it hadn't seen it for a long time. It gazed around, looking at the terrified Pokemon surrounding it. It wasn't until it laid its' eyes on Ash that a response was evoked from it. To everyone's surprise, the Hydreigon yelped at the sight of Ash and fell onto its' back. Ash stepped forward and tried to extend a hand to it, but it responded with a high-pitched shriek, covering its' face with its' arms.

Ash felt a pang of sorrow for the poor thing. He whispered, "...Just what happened to you?" Kneeling down to the Hydreigon's side, he tenderly put a hand onto its' chest, but quickly shot his hand back when it let out a series of yelps and shrieks as if it had been struck. The other Pokemon couldn't help but wince at it. Ash tried once more, this time not taking his hand off of it even when it wailed with fright in response.

"Shhhhh," Ash cooed, "No one's hurting you...no one will hurt you anymore." He rubbed his hand along the Hydreigon's rough skin and allowed his Aura to flow from his hand to soothe it. Eventually, its' wailing stopped, dissolving into low whimpers as it trembled fearfully. It dared to peak its' head out at Ash, who smiled kindly down back at it. "Hey," Ash said softly, "I'm Ash. It's nice to meet you."

The Hydreigon's whimpers slowly died down as it felt Ash's genuity from his Aura, but nothing could stop its' trembling. "There," Said Ash, "Isn't that better? I told you I wouldn't hurt you." Ash stood back up onto his feet and offered his hand down to the Hydreigon. It hesitated for a moment, but ultimately took the hand and was lifted back up. "You won't have to worry about Damian any more. Not now...nor ever again." The Hydreigon teared up at hearing that wonderful news. It suddenly grabbed hold of Ash, and the Pokemon surrounding them quickly leapt forward to stop it until they realized what it was doing. It had enveloped Ash in a deep hug, weeping into his shoulder. The Pokemon looked at one another, and decided to follow suit.

…

Damian sprinted throughout the forest; his howling laughter echoing through the trees as he went. That was, until he was knocked over by a kick and sent sprawling into a tree, where he sat beneath it unmoving. Zero, still holding the Hyper Beams within her Mirror Move, dropped to the ground in front of him. She pointed the concentrated attack at him and kicked him.

The bluenette stirred from his short-lived nap and screamed in horror as he saw the Hyper Beams pointed at him. He made a move to try and run, but Zero stomped down on his foot to prevent his movement. "Don't even think about it," She hissed, "You're not going anywhere."

"W-who are you?!" Raved Damian, "A-are you with A-Ash?!"

Zero nodded. "Yes, but that's not quite what I expected you to recall about me first."

Damian shuddered under her cruel gaze, but could still bring himself to ask, "W-what do you mean?"

"Tch," Remarked an annoyed Zero, "You can't be serious. It hasn't even been a _week_ and you've forgotten me already?" She pushed down on Damian's foot with her own, eliciting a cry of pain from him. "How about this, then? Do you remember an Eevee? One that you _mercilessly beat into the ground for being weak_?"

Damian frantically shook his head. "N-no! I do that all the time to weak Pokemon, so-" He screamed in agony as his foot was crushed further.

"Of course you wouldn't" Hissed Zero, "You really are a piece of scum." She averted her gaze slightly. "To think you're only the second worst person I've had the displeasure of knowing."

"W-what?"

She shook her head. "Nevermind. Anyways…" The glowing orange screen floating in front of her hand intensified, earning yet another scream from Damian. "...Tell me. Give me one good reason why I shouldn't end your life right now."

"P-please," Sputtered Damian weakly, "Please don't kill me! I won't do it again, I won't hurt any more Pokemon!" He clasped his hands together in a begging motion for emphasis. "I-I won't even look at a Pokemon for the rest of my life! Just please don't kill me!"

Zero scowled. "Funny...the last time we met, I told you to do something similar. Yet within a week, you amassed eight Pokemon, likely injured or killed many weak ones, and plotted to do more." Her eyes narrowed. "And what's more, you attempted to kill Ash. The Chosen One of Arceus himself." She knelt down to him and grabbed him by the shirt collar. "I'll have you know that Ash is very dear to me, and I won't take a threat to his life kindly."

Standing back up, she prepared to launch the attack. "I spared your life before, hoping that you would never dare to harm another Pokemon as long as you lived. It seems that was naive of me." The bright orange screen began violently crackling with energy. "So tell me...why did you do it again?"

"W-what are you talking about?!" Screamed Damian, "I-I don't even know who you are!"

Zero bared her teeth in rage. "Oh, you don't?! Well then, let me give you a reminder!" Zero held the screen out to her side to get its' light out of the way of her face and opened her eyelids. Damian paled, making a choked scream of fright as he bore witness to the empty voids that were the remnants of Zero's eyes. "...Do you remember me now?"

Damian, his face now completely paled over, backed up against the tree behind him. Or at least, as much as he could while Zero was still crushing his foot. "Y-you're-" He attempted to scramble away, but as he moved, he unintentionally fell to the side, and the weight of his body twisted the foot that was trapped underneath Zero's. He let out a high-pitched shriek of pain and Zero lifted her foot off of his. He was trapped now anyways.

In spite of his new injury, Damian desperately attempted to struggle away with his arms and knee. He didn't make it very far before Zero kicked him in the ribs and knocked him onto his back. He let out a guttural groan of pain and stared up at her with terror painted in his eyes. "P-please, no," He begged, "Please don't kill me! Please!" He sputtered this over and over until Zero stopped him by placing her foot down upon the knee of his other leg.

"You know," She said, "I recall very clearly that I told you the next time I saw you, I would kill you…" She hovered the glowing screen close to Damian's face, eliciting another high-pitched scream of terror from him. She inched it closer and closer, all the while Damian tried to push his head back as far as he could. Zero snapped her fingers, and the screen suddenly dispersed into glittering orange lights that faded soon after. Upon Damian giving her a questioning, albeit still terrified, look, she stepped off of him and turned away.

"...On second thought," She said, "Just get out of my sight. I probably ended up hitting you in the head too hard last time," She knocked on her head with her fist for emphasis, "Which is why you didn't remember me at first." She turned back towards him with an icy stare that nearly made his heart stop. "I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and believe that's also why you decided to amass even more Pokemon after last time." With that, Zero turned back around, waved him off, and started walking away.

As she distanced herself from Damian, the bluenette began to tremble. He gripped at the grass at his sides and tore it from the ground. He bared his teeth, and his bloodshot eyes shot open. "This...isn't...over…" Reaching into his back pocket, he took out a Pokeball and flopped onto his stomach. "You brat…! No one walks away from me!" Forcing himself onto his knees in spite of the spike of pain that shot up his injured foot, pumped back his arm and took aim at the young girl. "YOU'RE NOT HUMAN, SO STOP PRETENDING TO BE ONE! FREAKS LIKE YOU ARE NO BETTER THAN POKEMON! THEIR ONLY PURPOSE IS TO OBEY ME!"

Damian hurled the Pokeball at her. It whirled through the air towards the young girl, but right before it made contact with the back of her head, it suddenly shattered mid-air. She stopped walking, turning back to face him slowly.

"I knew it."

Gritting his teeth, Damian threw another Pokeball at her. She sliced it in two with a Leaf Blade. He threw another, which exploded due to a bolt of electricity that shot out from Zero's body. She took another step towards him, and his sudden confidence began to falter. He quickly threw more one after another, but all of them were destroyed by a backhand from the approaching girl.

"Stay back," He warned, "STAY AWAY FROM ME!"

Her next step came with such force that the very ground shook for a moment, causing Damian to fall backward onto his wound and scream in agony. Zero tilted her head. "Stay back? It was you who decided to throw Pokeballs at me while I was so graciously sparing you." She took another step, creating large cracks in the ground beneath her feet. The lids of her eyes raised once more, subjecting Damian to the terror induced by the voids of her eyes.

He let out a terrified shriek that was choked amidst the agony he felt, managing to stand up on one foot and start hobbling away. Zero's next step forward made him fall flat onto his face, but even still, he continued. Clawing at the dirt with his fingers, Damian attempted to crawl away from Zero with his face dragging against the dirt. He felt something solid at last. Something that could be used to hoist him back onto his feet.

A feeling of joy and relief washed over him, and an elated grin crept its' way up his decrepit face. Grabbing onto it, he attempted to pull himself from the ground. He couldn't help but to laugh as he did so. "I'm saved," He rasped, "That freak...will never get to me n-"

A choked gasp wrenched its' way from Damian's throat. As he raised his head back to the sky, he was met with the face of none other than Zero, and what he had grabbed onto was her leg. He whipped his neck around back at the path behind him, finding nothing but the fractured ground where she once stood. Zero kicked at him, sending him sprawling onto his back and gasping out for choked breaths as the air vacated his body upon impact.

"I have to wonder," Said Zero as she approached the fallen retch, "Was that whole memory loss thing a lie as well? You seem to be awfully good at it."

She raised an eyebrow at Damian as he began to laugh. "Eheheheh- yes! A lie! A lie! It was all a lie!" He sat back up, staring into her void eyes with his mad, raving ones. "I came here as soon as I heard Arceus's message! After all, what kind of trainer could resist the temptation of every Pokemon available just _waiting_ to be caught?!" The raving trainer forced himself up so that he was halfway standing, and reached for his back pocket. "But," He continued, "When I arrived, who else did I find in the city but you?!" His face contorted into a snarl. "You, who ruined everything! Who took my Pokemon from me and dared to threaten my life! _Me!_ The almighty Damian!"

He reached up to her slowly; his hand twitching erratically. She grabbed it by the wrist and squeezed, making an audible cracking noise as she did so. Damian heaved over and screamed in agony, but his screaming soon warped into a mad cackling laughter. "S-so," He rasped, "I hatched a plan...there were millions of Pokemon all around us! I simply did what any trainer would do and caught the strongest ones…" He tore another Pokeball from his back pocket and lurched up at her with it. "SO I COULD KILL THAT DAMNED ASH, CAPTURE YOU AND MAKE THE LEGENDS MY OWN!"

He was once again sent onto his back by a backhand from Zero. He writhed on the ground from the impact, but before he could react, Zero stomped up to him, raised her leg, and stomped down upon the knee of his uninjured leg. With a sickening crack, the leg bent upward and went limp. Damian screeched to the heavens in agony.

Zero stepped off of him and knelt down beside him, taunting, "Hurts, doesn't it? Now you feel what that Eevee you tormented felt." The only response she got was another agonized scream as he writhed. His leg bent at impossible angles as he flailed helplessly on the ground, which only furthered his pain. Though she knew it was wrong, Zero couldn't help but feel a disturbed satisfaction at watching him squirm around so. She stood back up and planted her foot on his right elbow. "Maybe I should take this one as well?"

Amidst the pain, he managed to scream out, "NO, PLEASE!" But that was all he could manage before he devolved back into howling in agony.

"Hmm," Zero hummed in thought, tapping a finger at her chin, "I don't know. How can I be sure you're actually sincere? If I spared you now, you'd probably just try to capture me again, and when that failed, you'd simply find a way to get healed and torture more Pokemon into being your slaves like that Hydreigon." She gripped at the underside of his wrist. "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me." She twisted the arm slowly, evoking more agonized cries from Damian. Glowering darkly down at him, she continued speaking. "Fool me three times…"

 _ **SNAP**_

"See you in hell." With her handiwork complete, Zero walked away from the ruined retch of a man, ignoring his screams until she no longer heard them.

...

After what seemed to Damian like hours of untold suffering, he managed to flip himself back onto his stomach. Even after everything that had just happened to him, his rage managed to cloud out the majority of his pain. With his singular remaining arm, he pulled himself along the dirt trail. " _I'll...kill...her_ ," He swore, over and over again. Those were the only thoughts he could muster, and those thoughts were what continued to pull him forward.

" _No one...can defeat me…! I...am the strongest…! Greatest…! Trainer...of them all…!_ "

His raving was cut short by the sound of rustling bushes. He whipped his gaze up at the sound and found none other than the Pokemon he'd amassed here in this very forest, barring Hydreigon. He couldn't help but to laugh ecstatically as they approached him.

"Yes!" He cheered, "Fortune truly favors me! My Pokemon have returned to me!" With his only remaining uninjured hand, he reached into his back pocket, letting seven Pokeballs roll out onto the ground. "Quickly," He urged, "Return to your Pokeballs!"

His Pokemon, one by one, began to approach him slowly. "That's right...I always knew you all were worthy of me. I truly couldn't ask for better Pokemon! Thanks to you, I can escape this wretched forest and-"

One of the Pokemon, a Rhyperior, stamped down on the Pokeballs and reduced them to dust. The rest of his former Pokemon surrounded him in a circle and glowered down at him. "W-what are you doing?!" He screeched, "How dare you defy your master?! To think I called you worthy of me! You're all nothing but traitors! Worthless, no-good traitors that-" The Pokemon began to close in on him, glaring furiously and snarling down at him.

"W-what are you doing?! Get back! I said get back! GET AWAY FROM ME!"

…

As Zero walked back through the forest, she couldn't help but feel a pang of guilt resound through her. "Maybe...I took it too far…?" As utterly disgusting as Damian was, what she did to him was utterly ruthless. She'd completely broken him, leaving him only a singular arm for him to navigate his way out of this immense forest. He'd likely just end up slowly starving to death.

"No," She told herself to dissuade the thoughts plaguing her mind, "If I spared him any more than I already did, a guy like that would have just made the lives of more Pokemon hell." A deep frown had seated itself upon her face as another wave of guilt hit her. "But still...he'll probably just end up dying slowly in agony for however long he has left...should I go back and…?" She quickly shook her head. "No, I already have too many deaths hanging over my head. I don't need any more."

"I beg to differ."

Zero whipped around as something seemed to speak into her ear, but whatever had done it disappeared as soon as it came. A short gust of wind that she heard out of the corner of her hearing was the only thing that gave away that there had been anything there at all. Now that she thought about it, she didn't hear or sense any other living thing besides the trees anywhere.

Quickly taking a battle stance, Zero used Protect to surround herself in a barrier. She eyed her surroundings to try and find whatever it was that had followed her, but the only thing she could spot were nothing more than a few leaves dropping from the trees, followed by more slight gusts of wind. It would have been completely undetectable to the average person, but with Zero's heightened sensory capabilities, she was able to at least catch the sight of the dropping leaves.

Then, a shadow dropped from the trees and crouched onto the ground a few feet in front of her, hardly making any noise at all. Slowly, it began to stand back onto its' feet. As it rose, Zero was able to make out its' features, and gasped when she realized what, or rather who, it was. It was humanoid, coated in a slick, blackish-silver armor and helmet with only a deep black visor on its' face, preventing anything from seeing what was within. It was none other than Ryder. He had a his sword sheathed upon his back, but he didn't reach for it. Instead, he simply stood up to his full height and spoke to Zero.

"Personally, I think you didn't go far enough with that boy," Ryder said, "You should have finished him off. Oh, but where are my manners?" He bowed halfheartedly. "Why hello, my dear Zero. I do believe you and I are overdue for another chat?"

* * *

 _ **Deep space, ten light-years away from Earth.**_

In the deep black void of space, a myriad of black flying ships silently sailed through the emptiness. The smallest of the ships, about the size of a house, were numbered by the thousands. Hundreds of larger ships flew beside them, surrounding a much larger ship. In the middle of these ships was one colossal one. It was the mothership, and it utterly dwarfed the rest, making them look as if they were ants in comparison.

At the mothership's front were two cylindrical structures that jutted out on either side of it, almost looking similar to tusks in shape. All over them were towers of various size and shape, used for housing a select few of the Ultra Beasts. There were also an innumerable number of barrel-shaped weapons dotting nearly every inch of them, and two large cannons at their fronts. On the underside of the ship were pods of various scales. Some were immense in size, while others were barely visible from the full scope of the ship. The larger pods were utilized for storage purposes, mostly for the resources of the planets they conquered, and the smaller ones were to deploy Ultra Beasts when Necrozma was invading worlds.

Along with the pods, six cannons jutted from the ship's underside. These ones were far larger than the ones on the ship's tusks, easily taking up most of its' underside. There were also a multitude of jet inlets, pumping out blue flames to propel the ship forward. On the ship's backside were five of these inlets, only these ones were utterly colossal. They easily took up the entirety of the mothership's back. All along the ship, translucent wires that glowed with crimson red energy traversed the ship without end to continue powering it.

On top of the ship, there was a veritable city stretching across its' entirety with a castle at the ship's front. Thousands of large towers rose up from the base of the ship and stretched up to the starry void. The castle, however, dwarfed even that. While the rest of the mothership was mostly a blackish-grey, the castle was completely jet black. It was as if light literally could not touch it. Finally, between the two tusks at the ship's helm was a mask-like structure that appeared to be made out of crystal. It was semi-translucent with a singular light at its' front, with a splurge of color radiating from it. It was modeled after the head of none other than Necrozma himself.

Within the base of the pitch-black castle, its' interior was actually quite light. Though this was more for the Ultra Beasts' sake than Necrozma's. The Ultra Beasts were noisily rushing around, making whatever final preparations they needed to before the invasion. Necrozma observed them from on high with his ever-cold stare.

" _ **Xurkitree**_ ," He spoke, " _ **Tell me: How long do we have left until our arrival?**_ "

"Less than a day," The wirey Ultra Beast replied, bowing to his master, "About eighteen or so hours."

" _ **Then we're on time?**_ "

Xurkitree nodded. "Indeed, milord. We will arrive in exactly five days since you made your announcement to the denizens of planet Earth."

The dark conqueror crossed his arms. " _ **I see. Then I assume the Ultra Beasts' preparations are also on time?**_ "

Necrozma's right-hand man nodded once in affirmation once more. "They are. They only appear to be in a panic because time is drawing short for the next invasion."

" _ **How long ago was the last one again?**_ "

"Only a few years, actually." Xurkitree ceased his bowing and went to Necrozma's side, motioning at the Beasts below. "There rarely comes a time where a generation of Ultra Beasts is able to invade not only one planet, but _two!_ " He turned his faceless gaze back towards his master. "The last one was the invasion of those 'Deoxys' creatures."

" _ **Ah, yes**_ ," Necrozma said, remembering the incident, " _ **That's the one where one of them actually ended up getting away. I'd almost forgotten**_."

Xurkitree paused for a moment, choosing his next words very carefully for fear of insulting his lord by mistake and bringing upon his wrath. "...Is that so, Milord? I'd come to believe we were coming to this planet specifically for the purpose of hunting down the only remaining survivor of the last."

Necrozma shook his head. " _ **Maybe initially, but that's only the side serving of a full-course meal I have in store.**_ "

Xurkitree tilted his head in confusion "Milord?"

Necrozma chuckled darkly, chilling the Ultra Beasts below into moving faster. " _ **That man I manipulated told me something. A few 'friends' of mine from days long since passed dwell on this planet. What's more, their denizens, or at least their leader, interest me. Of course…**_ " He turned his gaze up from the scurrying Ultra Beasts and out toward an utterly colossal window that laid at the front of the ship, showcasing the starry void of space.

" _ **I also have to pay my former partner a visit.**_ "

* * *

Author's Note.

Creator- What's up my peeps. Originally, this chapter was going to have a lot more in it, but it quickly became apparent that this chapter would probably end up at 50-60 thousand words if I continued, so I'll have no other choice but to split it in two. Sorry for those of you who were psyched up for the final battle against Necrozma. After the next chapter, it will start. Also, can you believe that the beginning scene with Mewtwo and Rayquaza was initially planned to be only 2-3k words? Haha yeah, try 19k.

Hydra- Well my friends It looks like it's that time again and man I must say I am very proud of the amount of reviews we got this time.

Creator- And with that said, it's review time, boiiiis! And I'm glad to say we have much more than last time!

 _ **ManInTheShadows:**_ "Wow you really like tugging at my heartstrings huh? This story keeps getting better. Keep up the good work!"

Creator- Why thank you. I appreciate that you're enjoying it, and lemme tell you, those heartstrings of yours are going to get pulled beyond belief soon enough.

Hydra- Thanks for the compliment my friend sorry about tugging at them heartstrings we'll try to do it less from now on okay…. Just kidding.

 _ **Amourshipper35:**_ "Wow I feel so bad for all those people losing their lives and Ash for losing Hawlucha and I hope he can save the world."

Creator- They say tragedies give way to more tragedies like a domino effect. Those people losing their lives could be considered something like that. As for saving the world, it's looking grim. Also thanks for your continuous report.

Hydra- The slaughter, the massacre it's all too much to bear on these little old heart strings.

 _ **Angelica Quezda:**_ "Lol Serena is no more. So get over yourself. Lol are you like seven years old. Who write pokemon stories this days lol. Also you are a crappy writer. Fanfiction doesn't allow immature or violent content. You have to delete your story and confirm me with a message at-" (lol I ain't linking your page lmao)

Creator- You fool. You absolute buffoon. You think you can challenge me in my own realm? You think you can rebel against my authority? You dare come into my house and upturn my dining chairs and spill coffee grounds in my Keurig? You thought you were safe behind that screen of yours. I will take these laminate wood floor boards and destroy you. I didn't want war. but i didn't start it. What the fuck did you just fucking say about me, you little bitch? I'll have you know I graduated top of my class in the Navy Seals, and I've been involved in numerous secret raids on Al-Quaeda, and I have over 300 confirmed kills. I am trained in gorilla warfare and I'm the top sniper in the entire US armed forces. You are nothing to me but just another target.

 _ **Thor94:**_ "Impressive battle but tragic chapter, too much blood and death, Necrozma is too much powerful and cruel.

So finally Arceus show himself to the world.

Hope in future chapters, Ash as chosen one will soon awake and grow new power-ups and abilities (maybe gifted by the God Arceus mentioned) beyond any level ever seen to at least put him on the same level as Necrozma when the final battle in 5 days will coming.

Want the bastard alien killed in atrocious pain (if at least, there was any sign of goodness hidden deep inside necrozma because some past tragic event turned him devil, Ash could maybe show some kindness and mercy if Necrozma truly regret his actions, like with Mewtwo)."

Creator- I love these types of reviews. The ones that go into detail about certain points they liked and what they want/think will happen later. Please do more of these, and in response I'll reply to them in equal quality, like so:

Necrozma's cruelty is everlasting.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, even for gods like Arceus.

That's actually staggeringly close to what we have planned for Ash.

I think you'll be satisfied with Necrozma's fate...or not...we'll just have to see.

Hydra- Yes I cannot agree more with the Creator please continue to do more reviews where you analyze the chapter because it helps to give us an insight on just what exactly our readers are thinking and it helps me come up with new interesting ideas believe it or not.

 _ **Phantomsoul2105:**_ "I love the angle of Necrozma being what's it is"

Creator- Thank you. When we first created this fic, there was almost nothing known about Necrozma. I simply picked it as a villain because it looked like an evil Pokemon. Here, Necrozma's not a Pokemon at all. Just as Solgaleo and Lunala are technically Ultra Beasts in canon because they came from Ultra Space, so is Necrozma in our fic. However, Necrozma won't end up like he did in USUM. We have something better in mind.

Hydra- Ah a new reviewer welcome I hope your having a great day. I remember when we were first mulling over ideas for who could be a potential villain in a pokemon fic The Creator showed me a picture of the legendary pokemon Necrozma and I instantly fell in love with how menacing it looked and knew from that point on we had to use Necrozma as a villain.

 _ **KaiserFaust:**_ "I'm curious as to how that guy, forgot his name, from earlier chapters will handle what Arceus just announced. And, if you're confused, I'm talking about the guy who turned the people against Arceus when Llama God said he couldn't bring the dead back.

Creator- Ah, him. Let's just say, he has his own agenda in mind.

Hydra- Hee hee well lets just say there will be more information about that man coming much more sooner than you realize and that he has a knack for being very manipulative when it comes to public crowds.

Creator- And that about wraps it up. I'll see you when the next chapter airs, which will probably be a around halfway through June. School, ya know?

Hydra- Well boys I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I really appreciate the amount of reviews we received on our last chapter so let's see if we can break the record with this new one. Please tell us your thoughts on the events that happened within the chapter and what you think may be coming. Thank you all and have an amazing day.


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